Read: Psalm 84:1-12
Have unexpected events in your day ever caused dinner time to be pushed back by an hour or two? You likely found yourself craving your favorite quick and easy fast food. The healthy dinner waiting to be cooked at home gets pushed aside as the temptation of immediate satisfaction takes over.
Psalm 84 illustrates a heart that is overcome with longing, or hunger, to be with God. The writer longs to dwell with Him to the point that his heart and flesh cry out to God. If I’m being honest, dwelling with God is not always the natural longing of my heart. Like unhealthy fast food, when I am too hungry to wait for something better, my sinful “hungers” get in the way.
Psalm 84:5 says, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.” The heart described here is a heart that is hungry to dwell in God’s presence. The following verse explains, “As they pass through the valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools” (Psalm 84:6). The Valley of Baka is also known as “the valley of weeping.” So how did these people make that valley, a valley of depression and hunger, into a place of springs? The answer is that they hungered after the right thing - God’s presence.
Instead of allowing the valleys in your life to cause you to hunger for satisfaction in something other than Christ, consider the truth that God is using your circumstance to teach you and give you the opportunity to point to His glory. Ultimate joy and satisfaction are found in Christ alone. Hunger for more of Him and allow your valleys to be prime seasons of growth and strength.
Reflect:
- What is your heart hungry for?
- What valleys can you begin to view as opportunities for growth?
