THE PRAYER THAT loved being at home with God

Home is where your heart is. It’s where we go to feel safe, comfortable and at rest. But for one psalmist, there was only one place on earth that was truly ‘home’: God’s temple.

Psalm 84 is a song of prayer about the unparalleled blessing of being with God. “My soul yearns for the courts of the Lord! Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.” The psalmist even envied the sparrow who built a nest near the altar, thinking it must be amazing to always be so close to God!

Of course, the writer recognised that life cannot be just one big worship service. But he reminds us that our true home is found in the presence of God. Spending time alone with Him in prayer and quiet meditation brings more joy and blessing than we could ever imagine.

As we rest with Him, we are recharged to ‘visit’ the dry and sometimes weary world around us with His refreshment. In doing so, we invite others to ‘come home’ with us and find the rest and contentment they’re looking for.

“I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked,” the psalmist continues. When we take our time in prayer, we’ll also discover there really is no place like home.