Ezekiel 19-21, Psalm 84, John 7
In almost every circumstance, I am thinking of where I would rather be. If I’m at work, I’d rather be at home. I’d rather be at my desk when I’m in a meeting, and when I’m at home, I’d rather be at the lake. Thinking about it now, I see it’s foolishness. The places I’d rather be are not very thoughtful. If they were, maybe my rathers would look more like the Psalmist in Psalms 84.
His thoughtful approach starts by considering the dwelling place of the Lord. ‘Lovely,’ he calls it. We see quickly that he would rather be in the dwelling place of God. My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord, he says. (v2)
Quickly determining the value of one day in the Lord’s courts, the Psalmist understands that he would rather spend one day there, than thousands elsewhere (v10).
Finally, the Psalmist compares the many options he has before him and determines that he would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God (v10), than
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than live the good life in fine homes amongst the wicked (v10).
There is no doubt that today we will find ourselves longing for a place that we would rather be. Setting our minds on the dwelling place of the Lord will be a good start.