Daily Affirmations - Day 3 - The True Vine - Planted in the House of The Lord
Day 3: Planted in the house of the Lord
The righteous.... will flourish in the courts of our God (Psalm 92:12, 13).
O Lord God Almighty,
"Better is one day in Your courts," the psalmist declared, "than a thousand elsewhere. My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God (Psalm 84:1-2).
Centuries later, Augustine of Hippo would echo this soul-longing need for God when he wrote, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.”
It is Your goodness, gracious God, that draws us to You, for You are our light— our sun and shield, (Psalm 84:11), the place of springs (Psalm 84:6) where our fainting souls are revived and restored. Moreover, You cause our souls to thrive and prosper under Your tender, loving care:
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him” (Psalm 92:12-15).
In Your infinite goodness You extend Your shelter over all Your creatures, for You, Lord, preserve both people and animals (Psalm 36:6):
Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near Your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. (Psalm 84:3).
No wonder the psalmist leads the response of gratitude and praise for all those You invite into Your dwelling place!
Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You (Psalm 84:4).
Blessed are those You choose and bring near to live in Your courts! We are filled with the good things of Your house, of Your holy temple (Psalm 65:4).
Sun of my soul, Thou Savior dear,
It is not night if Thou be near;
Oh, may no earthborn cloud arise
To hide Thee from Thy servant’s eyes.
When the soft dews of kindly sleep
My wearied eyelids gently steep,
Be my last thought, how sweet to rest
Forever on my Savior’s breast.
Abide with me from morn till eve,
For without Thee I cannot live;
Abide with me when night is nigh,
For without Thee I dare not die.
If some poor wand’ring child of Thine
Has spurned today the voice divine,
Now, Lord, the gracious work begin;
Let him no more lie down in sin.
Watch by the sick, enrich the poor
With blessings from Thy boundless store;
Be every mourner’s sleep tonight,
Like infants’ slumbers, pure and right.
Come near and bless us when we wake,
Ere through the world our way we take,
Till in the ocean of Thy love
We lose ourselves in Heav’n above.
~ John Keble, 1820
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