How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the loving God.   Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young – a place near your alter, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. (Psalm 84: 1-4)

I read this verse last night and it had such an impact on me. The birds choosing to build nests and to raise their young at a place near the alter of the LORD Almighty, a place of worship. They would hear the singing of praises to the LORD and the confessing of sins and burnt offerings and hear the sermons, the truth spoken from the Word. They would also feel the closeness of the LORD’s presence. I even bet that when no one was looking the birds would dance before the King, flying around and showing off the beauty of their wings, singing at the tops of their lungs the beautiful sound that birds make.

Samuel did the same thing; he grew up in the presence of the LORD. (1 Samuel 2:21) Samuel slept in the temple where the ark of God was at. Samuel heard the voice of the LORD while he was lying in that spot. (1 Samuel 3:3-10)   So how do I build my nest near the alter of God?   I bring the image of the alter into my home, into my nest and make my home a place of worship. I make my whole home an alter before the LORD. I sing praises to the LORD here in my home, I confess sins before God in my home, I read the Word to hear the truth about God in my home.   It is also the place where I will hear God speak to me and feel His Presence. And I will tell my daughter about all these things: who God is, what God is looking for from us, and get her to confess her sins before the LORD at our alter, in our home. We keep the figure of the cross, a symbol in our home, as the image of Jesus on the alter and the grace that he chose to bestow on us as our reminder of “a place near your alter, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.”

The alter is not something that you only see once a week at church it has to be the place where we chose to live. It has to be a place we seek out. We have to make an effort to maintain our nest as a place of worship. It is hard work “doing” life and raising children and a lot of responsibility. But I will chose to bring the alter of God into my home and rest in His hands there. Because better is one day in Your courts, LORD, than a thousand elsewhere.

LORD, help me to make my nest as close to you as possible. And to always seek out your alter in good and bad times. My soul longs to be in Your presence all day long. In Jesus’ Name   Amen