“Blessed are those whose strength is in You, in whose hearts 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
During the 2019 Advent season we studied Psalm 84. The entire Psalm is filled with beautiful language, profound ideas and connections, and also ends up being entirely about Jesus. But my favorite verses are those above, verses 5-7.
Here are some highlight observations that seem uniquely applicable to our season now:
Having hearts that are highways to Zion. Where does your heart take you? When I consider “the present distress” (cf. 1Cor 7:26), my heart takes me places. Sometimes they are dark, stormy places full of creaking doors, squeaky floors, and ominous shadows. I don’t like to go there! This Psalm presents us with an alternate vision: a heart that has highways to Zion. That is, when stressed and distressed, your heart would run to remember that God is present, that God is good, that God is the sovereign King, that God’s promises are sure. The added benefit of having a heart like this is that when others ask for your impression, opinion, or counsel, you will take them to Zion.
We go through valleys of Baca. Dry and desert regions abound! And yours and mine are not necessarily the same. Different seasons of life, different world events, different relationships, different struggles with sin or inner-turmoil: Baca’s abound. We’re in one now. What are we going to do?
They make it a place of springs. That is, they dig wells. They pour water from their skin, when it’s water that they need, knowing that there’s water underneath the sand. Not easy work! But they persist in it. If you dig one well, you get one well. But when you dig a series of wells, when you invest in your spiritual safety and health, especially in times of distress, you create an oasis. The by-line on our church description is, “a chapel of grace.” You could also say, “an oasis of hope.” My prayer is that our church be filled with people doing this work and reaping this strength. Because then we’ve got something here to offer the dry and the thirsty—not just words about Christ, but the experience of love that Christ wants to give the world in His people.
And it rains. God has not only put all the water we need a few feet down for us to discover, but when we’re engaged in that good work, He blesses it with free water from the heavens to sustain us. We get what we need to keep sweating. God loves faith-work, digging wells in Baca, creating oasis of hope amidst looming catastrophe.
Each one appears before God. Friends, this world is a beautiful, good, place created by God, entrusted to us, and to it we have been called, to love, serve, reshape, and bless. But one day, as Lewis says it, “we shall get in.” There will be a new creation, not just spiritually but materially. And we shall stand in it together, glorious, and doing what all truly glorified beings do when, in their perfected spirit and minds with their glorified bodies and brains, they realize who God is, whose universe they live in, whose love is theirs: we shall praise God with tears and laughter, hugging one another and dancing for joy.
Today, we’re digging in the sand, sweating emotional, spiritual, sweat. Today, we’re investing in an oasis of hope, for ourselves and the people in our lives. Today, we’re watching the sky for clouds. Tomorrow? I don’t know. But I know there will be one tomorrow when we will appear before God in glory. We will be in Zion.
But how did these verses start? “In whose hearts are highways to Zion.” We can go there now? We can go in our spirits to the place where God reigns supreme, enthroned above the flood forever, watching over us, keeping covenant with us, working good, fulfilling His Word. It’s not fairy land; it’s simple what is above the clouds, where it’s always sunny and bright. Because it’s always sunny and bright.
It’s always Baca somewhere. It’s always Zion up there.
Go there till we get there, friends.
Here are those sermons from 2019 Advent:
Worship Woes, Woeful Worship
Highways in Baca
Better!
Behold Our Shield
Photo by Steve Adams on Unsplash
