Blessed is He..

It seems like forever since I've been on here. For the last two weeks, every night I have thought, "I should post, I have so much to say, we've been doing so much!" But time passes me by and here I am, over two weeks later, with more to say than I can write. So, I'll write whats on my mind, and then fill you in on the past two weeks in a continuation or another post.

This morning started with sleeping in, Jesus, coffee, and a cuddly puppy. Yes, I actually have a day off! (imagine that..). So, before tacking a to-do list, I sat down to spend some time with my Maker and see what He had to say to me through His word. I was in Psalm 83 and 84 today, and what hit me was from chapter 84. Here's the whole thing (NIV):

How lovely is your dwelling place,
    Lord Almighty!
² My soul yearns, even faints,
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
    for the living God.
³ Even the sparrow has found a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
    Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
    they are ever praising you.^[c]

⁵ Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
    they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.^[d]
7 They go from strength to strength,
    till each appears before God in Zion.

⁸ Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
    listen to me, God of Jacob.
⁹ Look on our shield,^[e] O God;
    look with favor on your anointed one.

¹⁰ Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
¹¹ For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
    from those whose walk is blameless.

¹²     

Lord Almighty,

blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Now, this Psalm may seem familiar, as the song 'Better Is One Day' starts out with the first verse of this Psalm. So lets talk.. first, what is the interpretation of "dwelling place." Some might ask what that is. A different version I have calls the dwelling a tabernacle.  In the footnotes of my Bible, I'm told that the temple worship center was special in the OT because it allowed individuals to come into the presence of God. Think about it this way; "How lovely is Your [presence], Lord Almighty" That seems to be easier understood than dwelling place. But the writer, Asaph, is calling attention to how wonderful it is to be in God's presence, and I couldn't agree more.

Next, the word 'blessed' is used three times in this Psalm (verses 4, 5, and 12), and is describing the happiness of those who take refuge and trust in God. "Blessed are those who dwell in Your house... Blessed are those whose strength is in You... Blessed in the one who trusts in You" Replace blessed with happy/content. What do you think? I've found that taking refuge in God and truly searching out His heart for satisfaction gives a happiness nothing else can give. He is the giver of life, our deliverer, our rock, our hiding place, ..and yet so many times we look to things of this world like money, relationships, possessions, etc. to make us happy. We're looking in the wrong places for happiness, friends. "Blessed is the one who trusts in [Him] (v. 12).