One Day with God Beats Thousands Elsewhere
Daily Scripture
Psalm 84:1-4, 10-12
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
LORD of heavenly forces!
2 My very being [or soul] longs, even yearns,
for the LORD’s courtyards.
My heart and my body
will rejoice out loud to the living God!
3 Yes, the sparrow too has found a home there;
the swallow has found herself a nest
where she can lay her young beside your altars,
LORD of heavenly forces, my king, my God!
4 Those who live in your house are truly happy;
they praise you constantly.
10 Better is a single day in your courtyards
than a thousand days anywhere else!
I would prefer to stand outside the entrance of my God’s house
than live comfortably in the tents of the wicked!
11 The LORD is a sun and shield;
God is favor and glory.
The LORD gives—doesn’t withhold!—good things
to those who walk with integrity.
12 LORD of heavenly forces,
those who trust in you are truly happy!
Daily Reflection & Prayer
The Temple in Jerusalem had large outdoor courtyards. The poet who composed Psalm 84 noted that even birds like sparrows and swallows showed a desire to build nests in those outdoor courts (verse 3). The poem added the charming, important note that the swallow wished to “lay her young beside your altars.” Life’s high points, for this psalmist, involved meeting God in the Temple. In keeping with Hebrew tradition, he wanted even the youngest to share in that joy.
- Mark Twain, with his keen eye for ironies, wrote wryly that many Christians could barely tolerate church—”an hour and a quarter is the limit, and they draw the line at once a week,” yet say they want heaven—“‘church’ that lasts forever!” * How do you respond inwardly to being involved in praise and worship of God? How can you increase your delight in worship, praise, prayer or other ways of focusing on God’s presence, and share that with those who are younger?
- Scholar John Goldingay noted, “If the God people met [at church] is real, then that God is real in their factory or store or school as well. If God is not real in everyday life, God is not truly real at all…. [The psalm] speaks, too, of the good fortune of the people who trust in Yahweh, and there is no doubt that this description relates to the thousand days and not just to the one day.” ** How might you create sacred spaces for serving and worshiping God in your everyday life?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you said I’m blessed when I hunger and thirst for righteousness. Nurture that wholesome hunger within me and then feed me as I come to worship and serve you. Amen.
GPS Insights
Katy Nall
Katy Nall, who serves as the Program Director of Missions for Resurrection West, wrote today's Insights. She is a mom of two and loves to be outside in the sunshine, especially if it involves mountains or ocean. She loves hiking, reading, learning, and connecting.
This psalm radiates joy about being in God’s presence! The writer says their joy is SO great that even one day with God is better than a thousand anywhere else! That’s better than a thousand days in the Magic Kingdom, hiking in the mountains, or holding a newborn baby. All of our best experiences on earth, anything we can even begin to imagine as the “best day ever,” can’t compare to being fully present with God.
That kind of closeness doesn’t just happen; it’s the result of choosing day after day to make time with God a priority. I’m reminded of a lesson from our 4th–5th grade Resurrection Kids classes this past weekend. The children were each given a piece of paper and asked to write down something that’s hard for them to trust God with. Then they folded the paper in half as many times as they could. Each fold represented a time they chose to trust God. By the end, the paper was surprisingly strong—just like our faith becomes when we place it in God’s hands over and over again.
When we make time to be with God through prayer, Scripture, and worship, our faith grows stronger. The truth is, we plan and protect what matters most: work meetings, weekend tournaments, vacations across the world. Many of us are living and dying by our calendars. What if we treated time with God the same way? Sometimes that means passing the busyness by—putting the phone down on the weekend, closing the laptop on vacation, or letting the emails wait while we take a quiet walk with Him. As we guard that time, we begin to notice God’s presence in every part of our day.
Lord, help us to plan and protect time with You, and to trust You in every part of our lives until our faith is strong—amen!
© 2025 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* From Mark Twain, Letters from the Earth: Uncensored Writings at https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1022817
** John Goldingay, Psalms for Everyone, Part 2: Psalms 73–150. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014, p. 46.
