“How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even Thine altars, O Lord of hosts, My King and my God.”

The psalmist writes of a longing to be in the presence of God. The Old Testament required a high priest to make sacrifices for specific sins. Worshipers traveled from altars to the
temples to ask God for forgiveness. The psalmist longs to be at the temple, to be near God. He envies the sparrows who have made their nests in the temple, for they are always near
God. There are many days when I feel like the travelers wanting to be able to worship at the temple, but not able to get there soon enough because of demands of family and
work.

O LORD, I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT WE ARE PROVIDED FORGIVENESS THROUGH CHRIST’S DEATH ON THE CROSS; HOWEVER, I LONG FOR
THE “TEMPLE” OF TIME WITH YOU. HELP ME TO MAKE THIS A PRIORITY IN MY LIFE. AMEN.

– Shared by Missie Stroud