What do you desire?

 

Let’s look at what a mature believer wanted.

 

Psalms 84:1-2

1 How lovely are Your dwelling places,

O LORD of hosts!

2 My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD;

My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

 

We have to look at the original language to get a real idea of what this verse is saying.  The Hebrew word translated longed is KACAPH, and it means to yearn for, or to long for deeply.  The word yearned is the word KALA, and it means to be consumed by, preoccupied with, or to want something so badly that you would do anything to get it.  What do you feel like that about?  Is it money?  Is it respect and admiration from other people?  Look what the write wanted.

 

The word for courts is CHATSER, and it does mean courtyard.  This word refers to the place where believers gathered together to learn principles of doctrine. 

 

You have to love this attitude!  Look what he says later in the same Psalm:

 

Psalms 84:10

10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.

I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God

Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

 

As you continue to grow and take in the word of God, it will do you more good than you can imagine.  The words you learn will come to you when you need them, and you will recognize how valuable they really are.  Then you will have this same longing and desire to learn more! 

 

Look what Job said:

 

Job 23:12

12 "I have not departed from the command of His lips;

I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

 

It’s no wonder that the writer of Psalm 84 felt the way he did about learning the Word of God. 

 

John 6:63

63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

 

I hope that you can have that same fanatical longing for the courts of the Lord!  Then your heart and soul can sing for joy when you enter the courts.

 

Psalms 100:4

4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving

And His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him, bless His name.