Blessed Is the One Who Trusts in You

January 04, 2021

Psalm 84:8-12: "O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayers; give ear, O God of Jacob! Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you."

Where do you look for your security, defense, and protection? As a woman married to a man who has been faithful and good to me for twenty-five plus years, I often find myself looking to him for my protection. That can be a healthy thing; the Lord provided Charlie to be a protector to me and most definitely a complement to me. However, the temptation is to look too much to him and not enough to God. Charlie is always near, especially in these days of quarantine. There is the tangible aspect to our relationship which is a true blessing and of God's design.

In Psalm 84, the Lord was described as a shield and again as a sun and a shield. The psalmist looked to the Lord for his protection as well as for his light. He knew that he could stand behind the Lord and that the Lord would illuminate his way. In fact, the psalmist delighted in the knowledge that in trusting the Lord, there was not just protection but blessing. Thus, the psalmist reinforced his desire to dwell within the house of the Lord.

This psalm conjures up many questions for me. What does it look like for me to dwell in the house of the Lord? What does it look like for me to look to him to be my shield? My illumination? My greatest source of blessing? These are questions the Lord calls me to wrestle with and questions that he calls you to wrestle with, especially as we venture into a new year. May we, like the psalmist, look to God for protection, guidance, and blessing in 2021.

Reflection:
Can you spend some time today reflecting on the questions above? How would the Lord like to transform you in 2021?