“A day in thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” (Ps 84:10).
What a deep yearning is expressed in this verse! It is the voice of a soul that has awakened to the love of God and has come to understand what it means to meet the Heavenly Father and how every second in His presence is incomparable to anything else on earth.
It also reminds us of the words of Jesus: “What will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?” (Mt 16:26), or these words: “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (v. 16:25b).
It is the Spirit of knowledge that has instilled this certainty in the soul, for the glory of God enables us to see that it is folly to be attached to the things of this world instead of anchoring our heart in the Lord. How short is the time of our life! How many of its days have we truly lived in the presence of God, and how many others have we wasted?
The Psalmist goes on to say: “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness”.
Can we also say from the bottom of our hearts that we would rather do the humblest service in the Kingdom of God than enjoy the greatest honour and prestige in the world?
Jesus Himself taught us this, as it is written in the Epistle to the Philippians: “Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:6-7).
And our Father not only allows us to enter the courts of His temple and to remain on the threshold of His house, but He has opened the doors of His Heart to us! To live a single day in His Heart is more precious than what the world can offer us at any time. When we understand this, we will know where our true home is.