Ok . . . so I’ll confess . . . when I “step into my closet” in the morning for my “quiet time” . . . I don’t go alone . . . and it’s not really “quiet” . . . I bring along iTunes. For some reason, pretty much as far back as I can remember, “background music” has always been a part of reading or studying for me. Some people do really well in silence . . . me? . . . I kind of like a little bit of sound in the background. So, my routine is to put on a mellow, worshipful playlist as I open the Word in the morning. So why mention that? This morning it was a song playing in the background which helped break a tie.

This morning I was reflecting on two of my readings . . . deciding which one I’d write about. 1Corinthians 10:1-13 was one of those readings . . . the idea of Christ being the spiritual Rock that accompanied the children of Israel and sustained them with spiritual drink (10:4) captured my imagination . . . the other passage that resonated deeply with me was Psalm 84. And as I’m thinking over these two passages, I hear these words . . . “You’re all I want . . . You’re all I ever needed . . . You’re all I want . . . Help me know You are near. Draw me close to You . . . Never let me go . . . I lay it all down again, to hear you say that I’m your friend . . . You are my desire . . . No one else will do . . . Cause nothing else could take your place . . . To feel the warmth of your embrace . . . Help me find the way . . . Bring me back to you . . . You’re all I want . . . ” Thank you, Kelly Carpenter, for that song . . . Psalm 84 it is!

Oh, you don’t have to enter into this Psalm very far before the things of this world and the worries of the day start to fade. The words of the Psalmist ignite impassioned desire, “How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God . . . For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Ps. 84:1-2,10). I read these words and the Spirit creates a hunger and thirst for the presence of God that has me crying out in response, “Me too! Me too! I cry out for the living God, as well.”

There’s something about having experienced just a bit of His presence that creates that desire for more. It affects the priority system . . . it redefines what real pleasure is . . . it resets the scale by which true fulfillment is measured. It is about “setting the heart on pilgrimage” (84:5b). Just as the Psalmist determined to be a traveler on the road to Zion that he might meet with God in the tabernacle, so too, I desire to be a sojourner . . . just passing through this world . . . seeking that heavenly city whose architect and builder is God Himself (Heb. 11:10, 16).

And, I’m not going to lie to you, it’s very much driven by the desire to be blessed of God . . . “Blessed are those who dwell in Your house (84:4) . . . Blessed is the man whose strength is in You (84:5) . . . Blessed is the man who trusts in You! (84:12)” Noodle on that for a bit . . . I passionately pursue God, and I get blessed . . . I draw near to Him and He graciously draws near to me (James 4:8) . . . I humble myself in passionate pursuit of His glory and He exalts me in due time (1Peter 5:6). It’s not pursuit for pursuit’s sake . . . it’s pursuit with the promise of a prize . . . “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (84:11). Oh, I know that “good thing” might seem so distant at times . . . like the journey is endless and not getting us anywhere, much less to realizing the “good thing”. But God is faithful (1Cor. 10:13) . . . leading and sustaining us through the rough spots on the journey . . . eventually bringing us into the fullness of His courts and the glory of His presence.

So, today I begin by asking, “Draw me close to You, O Lord. My heart and flesh cry out for You, O Living God. Revive my heart for pilgrimage. I’m happy to simply be a doorkeeper for You if it means knowing Your presence with me. Let me taste of Your grace and glory. You’re all I want!” Amen.

(If you have a couple more minutes . . . might want to sit back and enjoy the song . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB1yDv9_N1k)