Psalm 98 - Day 98

A psalm.

¹ Sing to the LORD a new song,
   for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
   have worked salvation for him.
² The LORD has made his salvation known
   and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
³ He has remembered his love
   and his faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
   the salvation of our God.

⁴ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
   burst into jubilant song with music;
⁵ make music to the LORD with the harp,
   with the harp and the sound of singing,
⁶ with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
   shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

⁷ Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
   the world, and all who live in it.
⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands,
   let the mountains sing together for joy;
⁹ let them sing before the LORD,
   for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
   and the peoples with equity.

Praise and worship God! No matter what. This is sometimes hard to remember; especially when things don't go the way you planned for them to. It's hard to get away from your initial reaction and feelings and submit to His presence. We are human; we are going to have reactions. It's how we act upon those that determine our character. The rivers and mountains praise God no matter what. No matter if people spill oil and pollute the water or chisel away at the rock; they praise God. And yes, they don't have feelings which make it easier for them. This is just a great reminder for me that I need to breathe first when I'm in situations that make me want to run away and hide, rely on God to fill His presence over me, and then speak the words He would have me speak.

Psalm 97 - Day 97

¹ The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
   let the distant shores rejoice.
² Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
   righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³ Fire goes before him
   and consumes his foes on every side.
⁴ His lightning lights up the world;
   the earth sees and trembles.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
   before the Lord of all the earth.
⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
   and all peoples see his glory.

⁷ All who worship images are put to shame,
   those who boast in idols—
   worship him, all you gods!

⁸ Zion hears and rejoices
   and the villages of Judah are glad
   because of your judgments, LORD.
⁹ For you, LORD, are the Most High over all the earth;
   you are exalted far above all gods.
¹⁰ Let those who love the LORD hate evil,
   for he guards the lives of his faithful ones
   and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light shines^[a] on the righteous
   and joy on the upright in heart.
¹² Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous,
   and praise his holy name.

Wouldn't it be neat to be able to have complete control over the world? To have the earth tremble before you and have your lightening light up the world. Yes, I know how earthquakes work with plates shifting; but what if all this really happened of the earth's reaction to God. How cool!

Psalm 96 - Day 96

¹ Sing to the LORD a new song;
   sing to the LORD, all the earth.
² Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
   proclaim his salvation day after day.
³ Declare his glory among the nations,
   his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

⁴ For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
   he is to be feared above all gods.
⁵ For all the gods of the nations are idols,
   but the LORD made the heavens.
⁶ Splendor and majesty are before him;
   strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

⁷ Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations,
   ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
⁸ Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
   bring an offering and come into his courts.
⁹ Worship the LORD in the splendor of his^[a] holiness;
   tremble before him, all the earth.
¹⁰ Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
   The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
   he will judge the peoples with equity.

¹¹ Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
   let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
¹² Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
   let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
¹³ Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes,
   he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
   and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Worshipping God should be second nature to us. To praise Him all the time for everything should be what we want to do. Sometimes we let the outside world, materialistic things and just stuff get in the way of our worship. This is what we were created to do first and foremost. Yes, some of us have talents in other areas like writing (not me) or painting, but these are the second things God has blessed us with. We need to get outside of ourselves and come back to the roots in which we were made. Since we have been so beaten with this world, we think it's a survival of the fittest kind of life. We need to center our attention on the One who made us and gave us our abilities and not be self-centered.

Psalm 95 - Day 95

¹ Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
   let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
² Let us come before him with thanksgiving
   and extol him with music and song.

³ For the LORD is the great God,
   the great King above all gods.
⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth,
   and the mountain peaks belong to him.
⁵ The sea is his, for he made it,
   and his hands formed the dry land.

⁶ Come, let us bow down in worship,
   let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
⁷ for he is our God
   and we are the people of his pasture,
   the flock under his care.

Today, if only you would hear his voice,
⁸ “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,^[a]
   as you did that day at Massah^[b] in the wilderness,
⁹ where your ancestors tested me;
   they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
¹⁰ For forty years I was angry with that generation;
   I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
   and they have not known my ways.’
¹¹ So I declared on oath in my anger,
   ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

What a great reminder of how all things belong to God. He created them and everything should acknowledge this! I'm also glad  I was not a part of the generation God was so angry with. I never want to be on His bad side.

Psalm 94 - Day 94

¹ The LORD is a God who avenges.
   O God who avenges, shine forth.
² Rise up, Judge of the earth;
   pay back to the proud what they deserve.
³ How long, LORD, will the wicked,
   how long will the wicked be jubilant?

⁴ They pour out arrogant words;
   all the evildoers are full of boasting.
⁵ They crush your people, LORD;
   they oppress your inheritance.
⁶ They slay the widow and the foreigner;
   they murder the fatherless.
⁷ They say, “The LORD does not see;
   the God of Jacob takes no notice.”

⁸ Take notice, you senseless ones among the people;
   you fools, when will you become wise?
⁹ Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
   Does he who formed the eye not see?
¹⁰ Does he who disciplines nations not punish?
   Does he who teaches human beings lack knowledge?
¹¹ The LORD knows all human plans;
   he knows that they are futile.

¹² Blessed are those you discipline, LORD,
   those you teach from your law;
¹³ you grant them relief from days of trouble,
   till a pit is dug for the wicked.
¹⁴ For the LORD will not reject his people;
   he will never forsake his inheritance.
¹⁵ Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,
   and all the upright in heart will follow it.

¹⁶ Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
   Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?
¹⁷ Unless the LORD had given me help,
   I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
¹⁸ When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
   your unfailing love, LORD, supported me.
¹⁹ When anxiety was great within me,
   your consolation brought me joy.

²⁰ Can a corrupt throne be allied with you—
   a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?
²¹ The wicked band together against the righteous
   and condemn the innocent to death.
²² But the LORD has become my fortress,
   and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
²³ He will repay them for their sins
   and destroy them for their wickedness;
   the LORD our God will destroy them.

These verses always seem to have two or more parts to them. A crying out for help part, a thankful part and a part about how wonderful God is. Maybe this should be my structure for prayers since I feel like I'm in such a rut right now. I'll try it and see how it changes my perspective on things.

Psalm 93 - Day 93

¹ The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty;
   the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
   indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
² Your throne was established long ago;
   you are from all eternity.

³ The seas have lifted up, LORD,
   the seas have lifted up their voice;
   the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
⁴ Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
   mightier than the breakers of the sea—
   the LORD on high is mighty.

⁵ Your statutes, LORD, stand firm;
   holiness adorns your house
   for endless days.

Our God is powerful. I think we all (hopefully) get this by now but verse 2 "Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity." stood out. His throne was here before us, before our ways started to change the world, before our government...HE was here first. That just puts it in perspective. We maybe do what we think needs to be done here to survive, but His ways are THE ways.

Psalm 92 - Day 92

A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.

^[a]1 It is good to praise the LORD
   and make music to your name, O Most High,
² proclaiming your love in the morning
   and your faithfulness at night,
³ to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
   and the melody of the harp.

⁴ For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD;
   I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
⁵ How great are your works, LORD,
   how profound your thoughts!
⁶ Senseless people do not know,
   fools do not understand,
⁷ that though the wicked spring up like grass
   and all evildoers flourish,
   they will be destroyed forever.

⁸ But you, LORD, are forever exalted.

⁹ For surely your enemies, LORD,
   surely your enemies will perish;
   all evildoers will be scattered.
¹⁰ You have exalted my horn^[b] like that of a wild ox;
   fine oils have been poured on me.
¹¹ My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;
   my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.

¹² The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
   they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
¹³ planted in the house of the LORD,
   they will flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴ They will still bear fruit in old age,
   they will stay fresh and green,
¹⁵ proclaiming, “The LORD is upright;
   he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

I hope my prayers become for wordy. Sometimes I feel like I pray the same thing over and over. I run out of words to describe what I'm feeling and how blessed I am. The praises in this verse are so detailed it's amazing. I know we don't speak this way anymore, but it's still something to strive for.

Psalm 91 - Day 91

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[a]
2 They say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
   my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you
   from the fowler’s snare
   and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
   and under his wings you will find refuge;
   his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
   nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
   nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
   ten thousand at your right hand,
   but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
   and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
   and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
   no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
   to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
   you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because they love me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue them;
   I will protect them, for they acknowledge my name.
¹⁵ They will call on me, and I will answer them;
   I will be with them in trouble,
   I will deliver them and honor them.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy them
   and show them my salvation.”

Trust in the Lord. Plain and simple. He will protect you and comfort you in times of need. Stay true to loving Him and trusting Him and don't be swayed. Easier said than done but it's the best thing to strive for.

Psalm 90 - Day 90 - Book IV

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

¹ Lord, you have been our dwelling place
   throughout all generations.
² Before the mountains were born
   or you brought forth the whole world,
   from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

³ You turn people back to dust,
   saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
⁴ A thousand years in your sight
   are like a day that has just gone by,
   or like a watch in the night.
⁵ Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
   they are like the new grass of the morning:
⁶ In the morning it springs up new,
   but by evening it is dry and withered.

⁷ We are consumed by your anger
   and terrified by your indignation.
⁸ You have set our iniquities before you,
   our secret sins in the light of your presence.
⁹ All our days pass away under your wrath;
   we finish our years with a moan.
¹⁰ Our days may come to seventy years,
   or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
   for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
¹¹ If only we knew the power of your anger!
   Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
¹² Teach us to number our days,
   that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

¹³ Relent, LORD! How long will it be?
   Have compassion on your servants.
¹⁴ Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
   that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
¹⁵ Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
   for as many years as we have seen trouble.
¹⁶ May your deeds be shown to your servants,
   your splendor to their children.

¹⁷ May the favor^[a] of the Lord our God rest on us;
   establish the work of our hands for us—
   yes, establish the work of our hands.

The Lord must be waiting for something special to happen before returning. It's been so long since these words were written and they too were waiting. Time is something we will never be able to comprehend, God's time that is. What seems like forever to us, is just a moment to Him. We do tend to dwell in the details and small stuff though so this doesn't help our case.

Psalm 89 - Day 89

A maskil^[a] of Ethan the Ezrahite.

^[b]1 I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever;
   with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
   through all generations.
² I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
   that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
³ You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
   I have sworn to David my servant,
⁴ ‘I will establish your line forever
   and make your throne firm through all generations.’”^[c]

⁵ The heavens praise your wonders, LORD,
   your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
⁶ For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD?
   Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings?
⁷ In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
   he is more awesome than all who surround him.
⁸ Who is like you, LORD God Almighty?
   You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

⁹ You rule over the surging sea;
   when its waves mount up, you still them.
¹⁰ You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
   with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
¹¹ The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
   you founded the world and all that is in it.
¹² You created the north and the south;
   Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
¹³ Your arm is endued with power;
   your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.

¹⁴ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
   love and faithfulness go before you.
¹⁵ Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
   who walk in the light of your presence, LORD.
¹⁶ They rejoice in your name all day long;
   they exult in your righteousness.
¹⁷ For you are their glory and strength,
   and by your favor you exalt our horn.^[d]
18 Indeed, our shield^[e] belongs to the LORD,
   our king to the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁹ Once you spoke in a vision,
   to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
   I have raised up a young man from among the people.
²⁰ I have found David my servant;
   with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
²¹ My hand will sustain him;
   surely my arm will strengthen him.
²² No enemy will get the better of him;
   no wicked person will oppress him.
²³ I will crush his foes before him
   and strike down his adversaries.
²⁴ My faithful love will be with him,
   and through my name his horn^[f] will be exalted.
²⁵ I will set his hand over the sea,
   his right hand over the rivers.
²⁶ He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
   my God, the Rock my Savior.’
²⁷ And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,
   the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
²⁸ I will maintain my love to him forever,
   and my covenant with him will never fail.
²⁹ I will establish his line forever,
   his throne as long as the heavens endure.

³⁰ “If his sons forsake my law
   and do not follow my statutes,
³¹ if they violate my decrees
   and fail to keep my commands,
³² I will punish their sin with the rod,
   their iniquity with flogging;
³³ but I will not take my love from him,
   nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
³⁴ I will not violate my covenant
   or alter what my lips have uttered.
³⁵ Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
   and I will not lie to David—
³⁶ that his line will continue forever
   and his throne endure before me like the sun;
³⁷ it will be established forever like the moon,
   the faithful witness in the sky.”

³⁸ But you have rejected, you have spurned,
   you have been very angry with your anointed one.
³⁹ You have renounced the covenant with your servant
   and have defiled his crown in the dust.
⁴⁰ You have broken through all his walls
   and reduced his strongholds to ruins.
⁴¹ All who pass by have plundered him;
   he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
⁴² You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
   you have made all his enemies rejoice.
⁴³ Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword
   and have not supported him in battle.
⁴⁴ You have put an end to his splendor
   and cast his throne to the ground.
⁴⁵ You have cut short the days of his youth;
   you have covered him with a mantle of shame.

⁴⁶ How long, LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?
   How long will your wrath burn like fire?
⁴⁷ Remember how fleeting is my life.
   For what futility you have created all humanity!
⁴⁸ Who can live and not see death,
   or who can escape the power of the grave?
⁴⁹ Lord, where is your former great love,
   which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
⁵⁰ Remember, Lord, how your servant has^[g] been mocked,
   how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,
⁵¹ the taunts with which your enemies, LORD, have mocked,
   with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.
⁵² Praise be to the LORD forever!
            Amen and Amen.

There is so much in this verse I can talk about. God's creation, what a convenient is verses promise, enduring love, etc. As I've been doing these 150 days of Psalms, there are times where I struggle to find one topic to write about and then there are days like this that would take me a week just to talk about all the topics. Then I start to type and my brain freezes. So I will keep it short of this one because I'm afraid I will draw a blank after a little while (my brain has been mush lately).

Verse 30-37 really stood out to me. I know it's because I'm a mother. The point is you love your child so much that you punish their sin and continue to love them. This is a hard concept as a child to grasp sometimes when a parent says, "I'm upset with your choice, but not you." As a parent, it makes complete sense. I will love my little one until the end of time and will try to best to help him realize when I am frustrated or hurt; it's because of the choices made and not with him.

Psalm 88 - Day 88

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth.^[a] A maskil^[b] of Heman the Ezrahite.

^[c]1 LORD, you are the God who saves me;
   day and night I cry out to you.
² May my prayer come before you;
   turn your ear to my cry.

³ I am overwhelmed with troubles
   and my life draws near to death.
⁴ I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
   I am like one without strength.
⁵ I am set apart with the dead,
   like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
   who are cut off from your care.

⁶ You have put me in the lowest pit,
   in the darkest depths.
⁷ Your wrath lies heavily on me;
   you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.^[d]
8 You have taken from me my closest friends
   and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
 ⁹ my eyes are dim with grief.

I call to you, LORD, every day;
   I spread out my hands to you.
¹⁰ Do you show your wonders to the dead?
   Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
¹¹ Is your love declared in the grave,
   your faithfulness in Destruction^[e]?
¹² Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
   or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

¹³ But I cry to you for help, LORD;
   in the morning my prayer comes before you.
¹⁴ Why, LORD, do you reject me
   and hide your face from me?

¹⁵ From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
   I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
¹⁶ Your wrath has swept over me;
   your terrors have destroyed me.
¹⁷ All day long they surround me like a flood;
   they have completely engulfed me.
¹⁸ You have taken from me friend and neighbor—
   darkness is my closest friend.

Don't we feel like this sometimes? I know I do. I'm not sure if God actually takes us away from friends and puts us in dark places; we just feel like it. I'm just grateful He will always be there to help us out of these situations when we feel so deeply engulfed.

Psalm 87 - Day 87

Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. A song.

¹ He has founded his city on the holy mountain.
² The LORD loves the gates of Zion
   more than all the other dwellings of Jacob.

³ Glorious things are said of you,
   city of God:^[a]
4 “I will record Rahab^[b] and Babylon
   among those who acknowledge me—
Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush^[c]—
   and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’”^[d]
5 Indeed, of Zion it will be said,
   “This one and that one were born in her,
   and the Most High himself will establish her.”
⁶ The LORD will write in the register of the peoples:
   “This one was born in Zion.”

⁷ As they make music they will sing,
   “All my fountains are in you.”

Do you have a place you just love going? A place that makes you feel secure and safe? I wish I could find such a place like the Lord has in Zion. What a wonderful feeling it must be. It's hard to fathom a place like Zion today. It was blessed so much by God and children born there were clearly stated that they were born there. It's not like saying "My name is so-and-so and I was born at St. Vincent's."

Psalm 86 - Day 86

A prayer of David.

¹ Hear me, LORD, and answer me,
   for I am poor and needy.
² Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
   save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; ³ have mercy on me, Lord,
   for I call to you all day long.
⁴ Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
   for I put my trust in you.

⁵ You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
   abounding in love to all who call to you.
⁶ Hear my prayer, LORD;
   listen to my cry for mercy.
⁷ When I am in distress, I call to you,
   because you answer me.

⁸ Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;
   no deeds can compare with yours.
⁹ All the nations you have made
   will come and worship before you, Lord;
   they will bring glory to your name.
¹⁰ For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
   you alone are God.

¹¹ Teach me your way, LORD,
   that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
   that I may fear your name.
¹² I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
   I will glorify your name forever.
¹³ For great is your love toward me;
   you have delivered me from the depths,
   from the realm of the dead.

¹⁴ Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;
   a band of ruthless people seeks my life—
   they have no regard for you.
¹⁵ But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
   slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
¹⁶ Turn to me and have mercy on me;
   show your strength in behalf of your servant
and save the son of a woman
   who served you before me.
¹⁷ Give me a sign of your goodness,
   that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
   for you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

The fact that God is slow to anger still amazes me. If you think about how quick we are to get upset over things, slow that down by weeks, years, decades! He is so patient with us and it's something I will never be able to comprehend...but verse 11 "Teach me your way, LORD..." this is what I still am striving for.

Psalm 85 - Day 85

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

^[a]1 You, LORD, showed favor to your land;
   you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
² You forgave the iniquity of your people
   and covered all their sins.^[b]
3 You set aside all your wrath
   and turned from your fierce anger.

⁴ Restore us again, God our Savior,
   and put away your displeasure toward us.
⁵ Will you be angry with us forever?
   Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
⁶ Will you not revive us again,
   that your people may rejoice in you?
⁷ Show us your unfailing love, LORD,
   and grant us your salvation.

⁸ I will listen to what God the LORD says;
   he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—
   but let them not turn to folly.
⁹ Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
   that his glory may dwell in our land.

¹⁰ Love and faithfulness meet together;
   righteousness and peace kiss each other.
¹¹ Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
   and righteousness looks down from heaven.
¹² The LORD will indeed give what is good,
   and our land will yield its harvest.
¹³ Righteousness goes before him
   and prepares the way for his steps.

Once again I'm glad I do not have the role of God. You would always have people do wrong against you then beg for forgiveness. I would get so tired of that. I'm so glad He is a gracious God! We definitely do not get what we deserve...

Psalm 84 - Day 84

For the director of music. According to gittith.^[b] Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

 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.^[c]

 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.^[d] 

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,^[e] 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.

This song is amazing! I love to sing it in church and even in the car. What a great reminder that He is so much better than anywhere else on earth or anywhere else. We gather our strength from Him and He will bless us always.