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May this devotional awaken your spirit and draw you deeper into the presence of God. Let God’s nearness stir a fresh hunger within you—a longing to know His heart and walk in His ways.
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This should take 25 minutes to go through. Feel free to extend this time as the Spirit leads!
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Take some minutes to turn your attention to God and to enjoy who He is. He is worthy of worship simply because of who He is.
👉 ⏯️ Song: I Could Sing of Your Love & Heart of Worship by All Saints Collective
1 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. 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. 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, 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.
Every word from the psalmist carries a longing to know and be with God—to dwell with Him above all else. It’s the cry of one who has tasted His goodness and been ruined for anything less. To be “ruined for anything less” than Him means that nothing else can satisfy the same way compared to how good and real God is. If even the sparrow can find a place near His altar, how much more has God made room for you? Through Jesus, we can know the Father! Let your heart cry again: “Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere.”
Take a moment to imagine yourself sitting and resting in the Lord’s courts. What does it look like? What do you hear? Let your heart grow in desire for knowing Him.
Lord, what do you want me to know about You today? And, how can I respond to that revelation of who You are?