Psalm 84:5-9 “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage. Passing through the valley of Weeping, they make it a place of springs. Yes, the autumn rain covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength. Every one of them appears before God in Zion. LORD, God of Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, God of Jacob. Selah. Behold, God our shield, look at the face of your anointed.”

As the pilgrims go through the valley of “Weeping” (presumably a dry place), they make it a place of springs, presumably because of their tears of joy! Their strength is in the Lord, and that strength increases the closer they get to the temple in Jerusalem. With hearts turned towards Jerusalem the pilgrims think of God’s anointed, the king, who lives there, and they ask God’s blessing to be on Him.

Forgive me for engaging in a bit of allegory here, but life can be hard. We can experience dry, difficult times. But, if we believe in Jesus, God’s anointed one, the Lord promises to be with us. He is our strength and shield! And the reality of the indwelling Spirit and the joy of His presence help us to make it through the difficult times. He turns our tears of heartache into tears of joy, which only increase the closer we get to seeing Him face to face!

Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

For additional worship: Amazing Love (Chris Tomlin)