Psalm 84 | A Mother's Day Blessing
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.
-Psalm 84:5-7
Psalm 84 is a song of praise, a beautiful depiction of life as a journey. There are moments of exuberant joy and seasons of bitter disappointment, all of which are seen in this psalm and experienced in our real lives.
In Psalm 84, as in our lives, the journey of God’s people is not pointless because we have a destination. We’re traveling to reach God’s house, His dwelling place. For each of us, we will drive this highway of life until our journey comes to end and we meet our savior face to face. Verse 5 says that the highways of life lead to Zion, which is the City of God, the place where sickness, pain, and tears cease to exist and every need is met in His presence.
Jesus spoke to us about God’s house. In John 14, he told his followers that he is going ahead of them to the Father’s house to prepare a place for them. Imagine that! Jesus is preparing a room for you in God’s house— if we ever faced a doubtful thought of God’s love for us, it could be quieted by this notion alone.
Certain of where we’re headed, we enjoy seasons of sun-shining bliss where the wind is at our back and the open road lies ahead of us. But there are other parts of the journey when we’re met with unfavorable travel conditions. Detours lead us off-course, ditches in the road threaten our safety, storms swell around us and sometimes all of them happen at once only for us to find our gas tank completely empty.
Inevitably, the people of God face difficult conditions. Verse 6 calls it the Valley of Baca— a desolate place where no life can grow or thrive. But instead of describing the people of God as fainting from dehydration, the psalmists declare that in this desert wasteland, God’s people make it a place of springs!
Relying on the Living Water (John 4:10) to sustain and nourish, God’s people — you and me — are filled so that we can, in turn, fill the world around us. Jesus said it this way, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:38). He wants to nourish you so that you can nourish the people around you. He wants to refresh you so you can refresh others, even in your dry places.
How freeing this is! When we walk through dry places, we don’t have to succumb to a victim mindset. I’m not saying for us to be in denial and pretend everything’s fine when it’s not. If you’re in a valley, a dry and difficult season, acknowledge it. But also remember that Jesus, the Living Water, is accompanying you every step of the way. He empowers you to drink and be refreshed even in the most confusing, disappointing, painful parts of the journey. Then, you, in due time, can turn around and be a blessing to others.
Psalm 84 helps us to identify where we’re going, and it leads us to acknowledge our current travel conditions. This beautiful psalm also gives us reasons to keep moving forward in the journey because, let’s face it, sometimes we wonder if it’s worth it to keep going. We see five reasons to keep moving forward toward the Lord in verses 10-12:
ONE day in His courts is better than a thousand anywhere else — When we reach eternity with God, the journey to get there will have been worth it.
The Lord God is a sun and shield — Just as the sun makes life on planet earth possible, the Lord is the sustainer of our lives. He is our shield, our protector, as we move forward toward a deeper connection to Him.
The Lord bestows favor and honor — Are you facing insecurities about the roles you play in life? Do you have a constant feeling that you’re not measuring up? Remember your identity as God’s beloved child. His favor is set on you, not because of what you do but because of who you are. In His economy, you hold a place of honor— what an effective motivation to keep moving toward Him.
He withholds NO GOOD thing from those who walk uprightly — If this is true then that means that the bad thing you are facing right now will ultimately be turned around for your good. The valley won’t last forever. One day, you’ll be on the other side of these unfavorable travel conditions and you’ll have a greater impact on others because of the difficulties God has overcome in your life.
Blessed is the one who trusts in you — The one who trusts in God, who depends on Him to be her Living Water in a desert, is blessed. She enjoys the bliss of heaven this side of it because God’s favor is set on her. She experiences peace with God and peace with herself when she depends on Him to meet her needs.
Reasons to keep moving forward in your journey toward God.