Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.
Psalm 84 describes “God’s house” as a place of refuge and safety. Even the wild birds which we might consider a nuisance find refuge there. As we read on in the Psalm, we find that God’s presence creates a place of comfort, whether on the road, in the temple, or wherever we might be. It is God who provides light, favor, protection, and honor. This is a great blessing from God’s hand.
Our Western culture is a culture of confusion. It’s a culture in which many people can’t find themselves fitting in. We simply don’t belong here. It is increasingly characterized by hostility and dissent. Identity politics have made almost everyone question what kind of identity might be acceptable to others. This in turn creates identity confusion. What answer do Christians have for such cofusion?
The identity of the Christian comes from his dwelling in the presence of God. There’s our place of comfort. There’s our security, not in what kind of a person we are, but in what kind of a person God is. We find comfort not in our own self-confidence but in the confidence we can place in the God who is outside of us.
The call of Psalm 84, then, is for us all. As God is the refuge of even the least of his creation, he promises to be our refuge as well. Do we lack in a positive self-image? Let us look to God to find our image. Do we lack confidence? Let us find that God is our confidence. Do we wonder how we could be loved? Let us notice that God in Christ has loved us while we were still sinners. God is our refuge. Thanks be to God.
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