Psalm 84

How blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
In whose heart are the highways to Zion!
Passing through the valley of Baca he makes it a spring;
The early rain also covers it with blessings.
He goes from strength to strength,
He appears before the God of gods in Zion.

Psalm 84:5-7

Father, instill in my heart Your ways so that I may rely on Your strength. May this dependence on You provide comfort and refreshing in times of hardship for me and those in my realm of influence. My I grow from these experiences until it culminates with a deeper, more distinct awareness of Your presence.


This son of Korah was seeking God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. He was longing for the presence of God. And his heart’s desire was fulfilled. It requires that I ask myself what is my heart’s desire? Are the ways of God so entrenched in my heart that it propels me, drives me, like the instincts of migratory animals toward their destination? Is the Psalmist prayer my sincere desire?

Several points in this Psalm have leaped out at me:

1. It is not my strength but Father’s strength that contains blessing.
2. My strength in Him is a result of my heart condition, that is, my yearning for Father.
3. It is this attitude that provides emotional support during times of hardship.
4. I’m not on this journey alone. Father provides the “early rain” to give me hope and comfort. Father is personally involved in this process. To be poetic, the rain is a form of weeping. When I was young and it rained we would say that God is crying. So maybe it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Father experiences our hardship with us and cries too.
5. I go from strength to strength not weakness to weakness. Outlook and attitude are everything!
6. I will ultimately reach my destination, which is experiencing the fullness of His presence.
7. The process starts with internal change that is culminated in personal experience.