“How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
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.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.” Psalm 84:1-4
A Place for You (Psalm 84:1-4) – Lovely Birds of Lent – Happy Easter!
Happy Easter! Swallows build very distinctive nests. They are usually made of mud. Here in the midwest of the United States, we see these nests up in eaves or corners of buildings, like in our printable. I picture these birds nesting up in the corner of a church, joining in with the people singing praise on Easter Sunday!
These birds make a place for themselves attached to trees and buildings. We live more blessed and happy lives when we make a place for ourselves in the house of God. As our passage this week says, “a place near your altar.”
Coming together
Some believers have a natural love for coming together with other Christians at church. Some of us have a harder time. It might be shyness or introverted tendencies. Or, just a reluctance to leave the comfort of our homes. I found this a little difficult when the restrictions of Covid ended and we started to come to church in person again. All the people felt a wee bit overwhelming and I missed the peace and quiet of home.
Life is richer
However, it is better for me to be in the house of the Lord! I have to remind myself that there is a special blessing when we come and praise the Lord together. When we are all learning the same things and praying for one another, life is richer even if it is hard to get out the door on Sunday morning.
I have to consistently go to church and make a place for myself there by meeting people, being friendly, serving with others, and participating in worship, prayer, and listening. My husband likes to say that church is not a spectator sport. We are meant to be jumping in with both feet. The more I do this, the more I develop a love for God’s house.
A place for you
“How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
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.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.” Psalm 84:1-4
Lovely Birds of Lent Easter Action Step:
There is a place for you in your local church too! If you have not been going lately, Easter Sunday is a wonderful time to fly back into the fold! Come and worship and pray, cultivate a nest like a swallow in the corner – be blessed to dwell in God’s house this week!
If you are active in your local church, who can you invite to join you this week? Give someone a call and see if they will flap their wings and fly with you to church. Pray for those around you to have blessing of God’s house and people.
Come to the Facebook group @DevoInAction (https://www.facebook.com/devoinaction) and share your thoughts about today’s devotional or post a pic of your journaling under Lovely Birds of Lent Happy Easter post or post on Instagram and tag me @devoinaction!
THEN, comment on someone else’s post to encourage and build them up in the Lord! Let’s not just share our art but also the heart of what God is speaking to us with one another.
Lovely Birds of Lent Easter Prayer:
Dear God, Give us a love for Your presence and house this week! Help us to get out the door and into our local churches. Open our eyes to see that there is a place for us in Your presence. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Lovely Birds of Lent Easter Video:
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