“Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself . . . at your altars, O Lord of Hosts, my King and my God”– Psalm 84:3
My Dear Ones in Our Lord Jesus Christ,
We’ve got two large trees in our front yard. I often enjoy looking out the window in my study and observing the many little birds that appear there. It seems to me that they are always very busy. They are persistently gathering twigs with which to build their nests, or foraging for worms and insects to eat or feed to their young.
Once I observed one of the little birds flying up to the top of the taller of the two trees, up and down over and again for several minutes, each time lofting more sticks as it made its home high above the ground. It seemed rather exhausting to me, all of that flying around, carrying up twig after twig until the nest was just right.
Sometimes the daily life of such busy little birds seems to be an accurate picture of our lives as well, even as followers of Jesus. We are ever busy building our nests, repairing them after storms, looking for food, tending to our young, while simultaneously avoiding the many predators that lurk nearby, ready to make us the main dish on their table. A bird’s life is not so trouble free after all, and neither is ours!
This is one of the reasons Psalm 84 is so intriguing. Authored by the sons of Korah, it extolls the supreme security, beauty, and satisfaction that is to be found in the Lord’s “dwelling place” (v. 1). Perhaps this Psalm is best known for verse 10 where the author testifies to his experience of the inconceivable blessings of God’s presence: “a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.”
But what brings us encouragement on this new Monday are the words discovered in verse 3. Here the author compares himself (and all of the Lord’s covenant people) to a little female “sparrow” or “swallow.” And he tells us that in the presence of the Lord, in His “courts” (v. 2), and at the Lord’s “altars” (v. 3), she finds a “home” and a “nest” already made for her and “her young”! She needs only to come to the place where the Lord dwells, and there she will discover shelter, provisions, protection, and rest provided both freely and abundantly by the King, Creator, and Redeemer Himself!
There is a great lesson here for contemporary Christians like you and me.
On this side of our Lord’s triumphant return, our lives are filled with many cares and concerns, all of which seem to be greatly amplified by the rapidly changing and acutely frightening events now taking place in our world. We might feel like little, insignificant birds, frantically hopping around in all directions, scattered here and there by the multitude of threats that greet us each new day, and by the ever-present need to provide for our own well-being and that of those whom we love. It’s exhausting, to be honest.
Yet, there is a place of rest and peace, even for little birds like you and me! It is at the “altars” of our great Lord and King!
Compressed into this word “altars” (v. 3) is every blessing that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, both those we possess now in part and those we will experience in the future in all of their glorious fullness! The word anticipates the death and resurrection of the Perfect Son of God, whose blood washes away our guilt, whose righteousness gives us a place at the King’s table as natural sons and daughters of God, and whose triumph over death secures our eternal life with Him!
It is in His Kingdom, in His presence, that we have our eternal home!
This fact leads us to “sing for joy” (vv. 2,4), to find our “strength” in Him (v. 5), always moving “from strength to strength” (v. 7) knowing that the Lord “bestows favor and honor” upon us (v. 11), and never withholds any “good thing” from us as we “walk uprightly,” always trusting His faithfulness even in the driest of valleys, “Baca” (vv. 6, 11).
Until our Savior comes for us, we will continue to build and repair our earthly nests, forage for our food, seek to care and provide for our young, and be on the alert for danger. But we engage in these necessary tasks with the knowledge that we have “a home” already made for us, one that is eternal and impervious! And this fact, this blessed reality, allows us to rest now, even in our busyness and amidst all of the difficulties and perils of this life, and to sing songs of deliverance and praise! After all, as Jesus our Savior said:
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26).
Let’s trust the Words of Jesus together!
I love you all so much!
Mike