Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Psalm 57 and Psalm 84

Today you’re invited to memorise Psalm 84:5-7,

“⁵ Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
    they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
⁷ They go from strength to strength,
    till each appears before God in Zion.

First commit it to memory, and then meditate on it throughout the day in light of Psalm 57, and particularly v.10:
^_“10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”

Why would an ancient Israelite undertake an arduous pilgrimage from their home village on the borderlands to the Temple in Jerusalem? Why would they leave their homes, farms, and livestock to go up to the House of the Lord to worship? What greater reason could there possibly be than the love of God that reaches to the heavens and His faithfulness that reaches to the skies? Their commitment to pilgrimage and worship was born of their experiences of God’s great love and faithfulness to their ancestors in the wilderness, and to themselves in their everyday battle for survival. They were alive because of God’s gracious goodness to them, His stupendous blessing, and His ongoing care. Their worship was a response of gratitude and humility. God was worthy to be worshiped, and any price was worth paying to offer God that worship.

Is your heart set on pilgrimage? Is your hearts set on moving towards God daily? This might not be a physical journey, but it will certainly be an intentional spiritual, mental and emotional journey of paying attention to the Lord, His Word and His Spirit, and of allowing Him to speak to us, to show us the greatness of His love and faithfulness, to correct us, to teach us and to challenge us.

The promise of Psalm 84:6 is that pilgrim-people release and minister blessing wherever they go. When our hearts are set on the Lord, the valleys of weeping through which we pass become fertile places of great abundance.

Lord, I set my heart on You today. Draw me to Yourself. And as I come near to You, please anoint me to be a blessing to everyone I meet. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.