If you could choose to visit or live anywhere in the world, where would you go or make your home? Would it be on glorious mountain peaks with panoramic views, on soft, white beaches that stretch along miles of teal water, or a bustling urban sprawl filled with liveliness and lights? It’s a difficult choice, isn’t it? For most of us the choice is also entirely abstract or hypothetical. Even when we visit these places, our stays inevitably come to an end.

So, realistically, where is the most beautiful, most glorious, most breathtaking place of all? Where do we find a place that captivates us not only by its sights and sounds, but overwhelms us by its offer of perfect pleasure and permanent peace? Is there such a place, and if so, is it available to us now and forever? Well, God’s Word describes such a place and assures us of its permanence.

In Psalm 84:1-4, the song writer poetically pours out his heart’s longing to be in the most lovely of all places. Where is this place? According to the psalmist it is the temple and its courts perched on Mount Zion. We know from descriptions found in the Old Testament that the temple and its Most Holy Place, which housed the ark of the covenant, were beautiful. From the exceptional craftsmanship, to the extensive use of gold, precious stones, cedar wood, and intricate carvings, every detail created a sense of awe-inspiring splendor, glory, and symbolism. Every wall and door was intricately carved with designs like palm trees, open flowers, and cherubim as reminders of the Garden of Eden. The temple's design was meticulously planned, with the Tabernacle providing the model for which the Lord supplied the plans (Ex 25). The temple, inside and out, was a sight to behold and a place that brought travelers from near and far.

Yet all of this pales in comparison to who resides in this magnificent structure, for it is here, hovering above the mercy seat and in between the outstretched wings of the golden cherubim, that the Shekinah glory could be seen. It was God’s visible, radiant manifestation of His presence (2 Chr 7:1-3). The Hebrew word shekinah is derived from the word “to dwell” or “to settle”. To be clear, Israel considered the temple synonymous with the very presence of God among His people. It is with this in mind, that the psalmist writes the following words:

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!

What an emotional, heartfelt introduction to this song of praise! The psalmist and all those who would later have this song on their lips testify of the joy that comes from being near to God and serving Him faithfully. There is no better place to be than to dwell where God dwells. When we seek to be near to God and God draws near to us, His presence feels like home. Like the sparrows and swallows that the psalmist observes flittering and fluttering through the temple courts, there is a place where all we need is supplied. This is reassuring for all of us who, like sparrows, feel overlooked and worthless (Matt 10:29, 32). This is encouraging for all of us who, like swallows, feel restless and troubled (Matt 11:28-30). In God’s presence we find care and value, as well as rest and peace.

Amazingly, God’s glorious presence is available to us now, because His glory dwells in His Son, Jesus (Jn 1:1-4, 14) and the Son is the Head of the church, His body (Col 1:15-20). The sacred community that provides support for brothers and sisters in Christ along life’s journey, functions like the temple described in the text. As a matter of fact, Paul refers to the church as “the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph 2:19-22). It is a place of happiness where we are refreshed, even while we travel through the Valley of Baca (“Valley of Tears”). We find strength and support in the shared journey (Ps 84:5-8).

In short, the most beautiful, most glorious, most breathtaking place to be is in God’s presence as we abide in Christ and His love. Nothing can separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:38-39). What a shelter and rest is ours in God’s presence - a fatherly presence that bestows favor and honor and withholds no good thing from His children. May we find that there is no better place to abide than in the joyful presence of our God, Creator, and Savior!

John 15:4-9 (ESV) - “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”