Deepen Your Worship: A 5-Day Devotional on Pursuing God’s Presenceنموونە

DAY 2: DOORKEEPER

Psalm 84:10 (NIV)

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.

Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

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Theophrastus, the philosopher and student of Aristotle, said that “time is the most valuable thing a man can spend”. No matter how blessed any of us are, our time here is finite. Our time is a limited and precious resource.

I think most of us feel the pressure of its limited supply. But the psalmist helps us to pause, to reframe our concept of finite time within the understanding of an infinite God. The God who was before creation and will be eternally thereafter. While we may not be able to multiply the time we have, we can multiply the meaningfulness and peace we find within it. Psalm 84:10 helps us remember the value of a moment in the presence of God: in prayer, in worship, in gratitude. To me, it is also a reminder that God is not in a hurry. We need not be in a hurry. Isaiah 40:31 teaches us that those who WAIT on the Lord will renew their strength. There is a counterintuitive thing that happens when we choose to wait and trust in the Lord and not in our strength. We find that we can run further, to rise higher than we ever could on our own. As we hold Isaiah 40:31 alongside Psalm 84, we are reminded that the goal of waiting and trusting in the Lord isn’t an outcome: to achieve more, succeed more, to attain a certain position or social status; but it is a relationship: to be with the Lord, to know Him and be known. So the Psalmist says, I’d rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God! It is about WHO we are with, and everything else fades into the background in its rightful place.

So, take a moment to slow down, take a moment to wait on the Lord, and to linger a little longer.

Prayer:

Thank You Lord for Your presence. That You are not distant, but are nearer than I often realise. Help me to be more mindful of Your presence in my daily life. Help me to become more accustomed with waiting on You. Teach my heart to be satisfied, to desire that which is good and holy. Forgive me for when I allow busyness and my own pursuits to displace Your rightful place in my life. I thank You for Your grace that meets me when I fall short and is always there waiting for me when I turn to wait on You. In Jesus' Name, amen.