Psalm 116:19

Psalm 116:19

The house of the Lord

It was one of the Sons of Korah who, when writing Psalm 84, admitted that his “soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord,” and “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.” He was, of course, longing for the Temple and its courts, and he wrote the Psalm at a time when the Jews had been banished from Jerusalem. This man longed for the sweetness of knowing that he was near to His God. 

I suspect that the writer of Psalm 116 had experienced similar longings and now that he had recovered sufficiently from his calamities, he intended to make that journey, to fulfil his vows and offer praise in the “courts of the house of the Lord.”

Whilst we no longer need a building or an altar to experience the closeness of our God, many still find comfort in seeking Him in the consecrated stillness of a familiar place. Maybe there are times when we have to escape from the noise and turmoil of the world and simply rest in the presence of the Lord. It does not have to be a man-made chapel, church or cathedral we can each have our own “holy place.” It may be a room in our home, or a bench in a park, or a tree in a field, somewhere that allows us to fellowship alone with the Lord and to draw near to Him. The writer of this Psalm was not thinking about a solitary vigil however, he was anticipating joining with the throngs that amassed in the courts of the Temple, where there was noise and music and corporate praise. This too is an essential part of our thanksgiving and worship and let us never underestimate the value of communal gatherings where those of one mind can “Praise the Lord!”

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