A Place For The Birds

Psalm 84:1-7

1How lovely is your dwelling place,

O LORD Almighty.

2I long, yes, I faint with longing

to enter the courts of the LORD.

With my whole being, body and soul,

I will shout joyfully to the living God.

3Even the sparrow finds a home there,

and the swallow builds her nest

and raises her young—

at a place near your altar,

O LORD Almighty, my King and my God!

4How happy are those who can live in your house,

always singing your praises.

Interlude

5Happy are those who are strong in the LORD,

who set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

6When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,

it will become a place of refreshing springs,

where pools of blessing collect after the rains!

7They will continue to grow stronger,

and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.

Verse 3 of this psalm speaks of a sparrow finding shelter in the presence of God in the Temple. Jesus spoke of God watching over sparrows as well.

Jesus warned his disciples to expect to suffer persecution for following him, but he told them not to fear those who could kill their body but who couldn’t touch their soul (Matthew 10:28-31). Then he added a rather tender assurance: Not a single sparrow falls to the ground without the Father knowing it, and he cares for his people far more than any sparrow.

Sparrows were a dime a dozen in Israel. Everywhere you looked these seemingly worthless birds were flying around. But God takes note of them all.

If God cares so much for sparrows, won’t he care for you, too? You are worth more to God than a whole flock of those birds.

Jesus wasn’t saying that the sparrows would never fall, and he wasn’t saying that his followers would never suffer physical harm. But he was saying that God watches over us and cares for us. Sometimes God rescues his people from their predicaments, and sometimes he allows them to suffer and even die—but he never lets them out of his sight. They remain in his presence eternally.

Psalm 84 shows us people rejoicing in God’s presence at the Temple, where even the birds nested peacefully. No matter what kind of valley we may have to walk through, we can find a restful nest in God’s presence.

Happy birds that sing and fly

Round the altars, O Most High.

Happier souls that find a rest

In their heavenly Father’s breast.

HENRY F. LYTE

Bible Networking

In verse 7 spiritual growth is closely connected with seeing and knowing God himself. See 2 Corinthians 3:18 for a similar insight.

Notable Quotable

“Pain, sorrow, and disappointment are transmutable: we may climb the rainbow through the rain. Our pilgrimage should be a continuous triumph in and over circumstances.”

W. GRAHAM SCROGGIE