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Psalm 84 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
A very wise woman (Mona Jean Workman) used to describe the highs and lows of her life alongside God as an “adventure.” Throughout that adventure, there were valleys and mountaintops. This is similar to how the psalmist describes the journey to God’s temple.
How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion! 6 Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring; The early rain also covers it with blessings. 7 They go from strength to strength, Every one of them appears before God in Zion.
Psalms 84:5-7 NASB
The pilgrimage for those who left their home to travel to the temple would be one of joy, not obligation. The valley of Baca means “valley of weeping” and it describes the various difficulties that one would experience on such a trip. Even though the journey would bring hardships, the destination was worth it. Every step closer to God’s presence led to a strengthening of soul and spirit. Think about that for a moment.
The text describes this as going from “strength to strength” before finally appearing before God. Is this not what our lives look like yet today? Out of joy, we follow Jesus down the path that He has written on our hearts. It’s certainly a paradoxical adventure filled with struggle, hardship, celebration, and victory. However, it is in the “strength to strength” moments where we are reminded of God’s faithfulness. We see His hand with every step and it gives us the courage to continue forward to the next “strength” He wills in our life.
What does your adventure look like? Where do you need to be reminded that He is faithful during the ups and downs of this adventure? Those who never step out on a pilgrimage of following Jesus will never experience the radical, miraculous “strength to strength” power of our Father in heaven.