Each week, I’ll share personal reflections from my own time with God, our Heavenly Father. On a Personal Note is where I’ll highlight takeaways and implications for walking with the Lord.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
Psalm 84:5-7
There are seasons of life that are full of tears and dry places. It could be an unexpected medical diagnosis, loss of a loved one, or some other life-altering event; most people have some time period of life that felt or still feels particularly challenging. I think the season of single motherhood hit me the hardest. It seemed like blow after blow to my emotions, mental status, and finances after I separated from my fiance. My nights were filled with tear-streaked cheeks asking God how much more would I have to endure. The imagery of tears and dry places set part of the scene for Psalm 84.
Psalm 84 is a psalm (song) about longing for the courts of God. In that time, the courts were where God’s presence could be encountered. The psalmist writes that those who draw their strength from God are blessed. “In whose heart are the highways to Zion” (Psalm 84:5 ESV) is a different translation of the pilgrimage that helps cement the concept that our faith is a journey. The Valley of Baca has two associations: ‘weeping’ or ‘weeping trees’ like balsam. What beautiful imagery and words the psalmist uses to describe this sojourn.
When we make the decision to follow Christ, our hearts are set on a journey to God. He is where we, as believers, draw our favor and strength from. As we pass through seasons of sorrow or frustration, they are transformed into fruitful periods of revelation. Times of struggle and hardship become the very place we give birth to godly characteristics. We learn wisdom, perseverance, and patience. We find joy, peace, and protection in the darkest seasons. The rain is symbolic of an overflow of God’s blessings for those who keep pressing forward. We get blessed over and over again with the very things we need until we finish our journey and we get to see God for ourselves.
How beautiful is it that as we travel through dry places, we are able to still have an overflow?
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.
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.
Lord Almighty,
blessed is the one who trusts in you.
Psalm 84:10-12
As we study the word of God, we should walk away with practical steps for our life. My takeaway is to continue to trust God and draw my strength from Him as I journey through life. God is transforming me through every battle and covering me with His blessings.
What about you? What’s your takeaway? How will you walk it out in your daily life?
