Psalm 84
I am not the Bible memory person that John would like for me/us to be, but there have been quite a few verses in my life for which I can call “chapter and verse”, mostly verbatim. Today’s reading has one of those, one of the earliest in my “list” that I can recall: No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. (v. 11b) I was at a Bible conference soon after my first born-again year and someone there gave me a card that had that verse on it. So I remembered/memorized it. Later that “chapter and verse” became a password for my e-mail server. Think about it – they want passwords to be strong, to include an upper-case letter, a lower-case letter, a number, and a special character. Here it is: “Psalm 84-11b”. Another one that I’ve used is “Romans 3:23”. These “chapter and verse” Bible citations make good passwords and help you to recall that verse every time you type your password.
Almost every time that I read of these pilgrimages to the Temple at Jerusalem (vv. 5-7), I think of my own trips to church, how much I enjoy the Eucharistic service, the music, being with God’s people. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be on Sunday morning: How lovely is Your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes faints for the courts of the LORD… (vv. 1-2a).