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The Scriptorium

Doorkeepers All

What a high and holy calling - doorkeepers! Psalm 84

A Song for the Journey (7)

Opening Prayer: Psalm 84.9, 10
O God, behold our shield,
And look upon the face of Your anointed.
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Sing Psalm 84.8-12
(Holy Manna: Brethren, We Have Met to Worship)
Lord of hosts, my prayer receiving, hear me, help me by Your grace!
In Your courts I stand believing; turn to me Your glorious face!
Lord, our sun, our shield, our glory, no good thing will You deny
to those who proclaim Your story, and who on Your grace rely.

Read Psalm 84; meditate on verses 9 and 10.

Preparation
1. How did the psalmists begin their “journey” to God?

2. How is it evident that they believed God would be with them as they journeyed?

Meditation
Psalm 84 is a psalm of pilgrimage, and since we are supposed to think of our lives in Christ as a pilgrimage in Him (1 Pet. 2.11), we should expect to find sound advice here to guide and bless us.

Everyone’s journey in the Lord matters, because we all have a Personal Mission Field of places and people which encompasses the “as-you-are-goings” of our lives (Matt. 28.18). All believers are doorkeepers in the Kingdom of God. After all, we know the way into the Kingdom. We can open the door for those who wish to enter, whatever else God has given us to do in our daily life.

Every Kingdom calling, gratefully accepted and energetically engaged, has more potential for fulfillment and glory than the flashiest or most powerful endeavor by those beyond the pale of grace.

The Lord takes our journey seriously, and He stands ready to meet us with His strength as we do the work appointed to us in our Personal Mission Field (Ps. 84.7). We trust the Lord to meet us with good things every step of the way (v. 11), to sustain us through hard times and keep us in His joy (v. 6), and to keep His eye upon us as we seek His strength throughout the day (vv. 9, 5).

Begin your journey each day devoting yourself to the Lord (v. 3), and set your mind on the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, preparing a place for us in His holy city and dwelling place (vv. 1, 2; Col. 3.1-3; Jn. 14.1-4). Strap on the shield of faith and all the armor of God (v. 9; Eph. 6.10-20), and go forth to glorify God in everything you do (1 Cor. 10.31).

And remember: Jesus is with you always, even to the end of the age (Matt. 28.20). He will never fail you nor forsake you (Heb. 13.5), so look to Him at every step of your journey, for He Who has called you will be faithful to empower you to do His will (1 Thess. 5.24; Phil. 2.13).

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
One day with Jesus is better than a thousand days lived unproductively without Him.
And each day, we have the important work of being doorkeepers for His Kingdom.

We live in God’s house and have been given the privilege of inviting others to join us there.
We eagerly open the door for them, lovingly and with open arms, because we know that “blessed are those who dwell” in God’s house (Ps. 84.4).

We look to Jesus to help us clarify the invitation. He said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know. I am the way…” (Jn. 14.2-4, 6). Jesus also told His disciples that He is the Door. He is the only entryway into the house and Kingdom of God.

As Jesus taught His disciples, He opened their understanding like a door, that they might comprehend the Scriptures (Lk. 24.45). And He does the same for us through His Holy Spirit. We must study and learn these truths to proffer the invitation succinctly so that it will be clearly understood. Doorkeepers illuminate the truth of the Door and how to walk through it.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28.19, 20). And He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3.9).

“He Who has called you will be faithful to empower you to do His will.”

Doorkeepers. For one day, or a thousand.

Reflection
1. In what sense are all believers doorkeepers for the Kingdom of God?

2. What does being such a doorkeeper require of you? How can you fit this calling into your daily life?

3. How can meditating on Jesus – incarnate, crucified, risen, reigning, and returning in glory – help to equip us for our calling as doorkeepers in the Kingdom?

Let us account one day in God’s courts better than a thousand spent elsewhere; and deem the meanest place in his service preferable to the highest earthly preferment.
Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on the Psalm 84.10

Closing Prayer: Psalm 84.1-7

Pray for today’s journey with and toward the Lord. Set your heart to seek Him and His Kingdom. Devote your work to Him, that you might glorify Him in all you do. Ask Him to give you strength for each step of today’s pilgrimage.

Sing Psalm 84.1-7
(Holy Manna: Brethren, We Have Met to Worship)
Lord of hosts, how sweet Your dwelling; how my soul longs for Your courts!
Let my soul with joy keep telling of Your grace forever more.
Like a bird upon the altar let my life to You belong.
Blessed are they who never falter as they praise Your grace with song!

Blessed are they whose strength is founded in Your strength, O Lord above.
All whose hearts in You are grounded journey in Your strength and love.
Though they weep with tears of sadness, grace shall all their way sustain.
In Your Presence, filled with gladness, they shall conquer all their pain.

T. M. and Susie Moore

You can listen to a summary of last week’s study by going to our website, www.ailbe.org, and clicking the Scriptorium tab for Sunday.

For an excellent explanation of our journey in the Lord, and how to make the most of it, write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I’ll send you a copy of Jonathan Edwards’ great sermon, “The Christian Pilgrim.”

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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