Lately, I have been drawn to Psalm 84. It starts like this…
This Psalm is about pilgrims – the Israelites who would travel for miles and miles and for days and days just to go to God’s temple in Jerusalem to worship during certain festivals and holidays.
Of course, some of these people probably just went out of religious duty.. probably thinking “I have to make that long, dusty trek again… ugh.”
But others delighted in traveling to God’s temple, to join with other believers in worship. Verse 5 of this Psalm says: “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.” These people longed to travel to God’s house or just to be in God’s presence even when they weren’t actually making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The highways to Zion were engraved on their hearts; they longed to commune with God daily.
I am convicted by this short little verse. First, I should delight in going to my own church to worship corporately with other believers. My church is literally six minutes away from my house! I should be going with gladness! And even when we move and our church is a little farther away from home, it’s nothing compared to journey on foot through the Middle East! I hope I am forever thankful for getting to meet weekly with other believers for worship and teaching.
But even more important than attending church gladly on Sundays is the attitude of my heart throughout the week. Are the highways of Zion written on my heart? Do I delight in living in God’s presence during the day to day? I no longer to need to travel to Jerusalem to gain access to God. Now I can approach the throne of God boldly through Jesus Christ, who sits in heaven at the Father’s right hand. This means that I can daily come to Zion through the grace of Christ. I can commune with God at anytime because Jesus has provided access to the loving Father. Do I approach the Father daily with joy and anticipation?
And most importantly, are the highways of my heart pointed toward heaven, the true Zion? Or are my journeys too temporary? Is my heart set on Christ or is it set on Christmas break or saving up a down payment to buy our first home or getting done with my PhD? I want my heart to be set on Zion. Do my actions each day show that I long for heaven – that God’s favor and His kingdom matter most to me? Do my words point others to Zion and show them that eternity with Jesus is the most important thing in life? Or do my highways lead to dead ends – roads that only lead to empty or temporary rewards – outcomes that will never impact eternity?
Lord, may the highways of my heart be set on You and Your Kingdom.
xoxo,
Jen
P.S. You can also find me over at Mr. Taylor and His Lady today! Check it out!
Way to write sista! I know that I need the highways of my heart to be set on Him and His kingdom more often…I needed this reminder 🙂 I want my life and all of my days to reflect His will and His glory 🙂
Beautiful post! That is one of my most favorite Bible verses of all time. Love, love, love. xo
L.O.V.E this, seriously great insight and its something i needed to hear today. Just wanted to stop by your blog and say thanks for commenting on mine. I"m loving your blog… and seriously this post was great. Thanks again!
brandonandshelby.blogspot.com
Such a pretty post.
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Summer-Raye
I loved everything about this post! I really needed this today! Thank you!
also, i love what you wrote God is teaching you for Erin's sponsor post. SO SO TRUE. I currently have been doing devotions at night, but I need to change that to AM, to start my day off right. Thanks for the reminder.