Reflections on the Psalms: Blessed Before God [Psalm 84]

Stand for the reading of the word of God [Psalm 84]

Okay, there are so many different ways to try to approach this psalm, but here’s what I want to do based on something that’s utterly unique about this psalm. So out of 150 psalms, this is the only psalm that uses this word, “blessed,” three times like this psalm does. You might circle it in your Bible every time you see it.

Verse four, the psalmist says, “Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!” So that’s number one. Then verse five: “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.” That’s number two. And then last, verse 12: “O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”

So three times the psalmist talks about how blessed different people are. I want to use these three acknowledgments of blessing for the outline of how we walk through this text. This psalm is all about blessing, and the blessing revolves around being in the presence of God.

So let’s start with what the psalmist was saying then. Our goal whenever we start in the Bible is always to start by stepping into the shoes of the original writer, the original readers, to discern what God was saying in His Word—what God’s Word meant then—because that’s going to drive and determine how we understand what God is saying in His Word, what God means for us to hear from Him today.

For the Psalmist then...

It was a blessing to work in the temple

We’ll start with what the psalmist was saying then about blessing. There are three things I think he was saying. One, the psalmist was saying it is a blessing to work in the temple. So this is the first thing. It was a blessing to work in the temple to the psalmist then. You will notice, and in order to get this you’ve got to look, even before verse one, at the ascription next to the number 84 in your Bible, where it says, “To the chief musician: on an instrument of Gath. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.”

That last part, “A Psalm of the Sons of Korah,” is critical to understanding the 12 verses that follow in this psalm. If this psalm was written by them or sung by them, then we need to know who they are. So this is where I want you to hold your place real quickly here in Psalm 84, and then turn with me back to 1 Chronicles 9. So you’re going to take a left back—just a few different books—you’ll come to 1 Chronicles 9 because I want to give you a little context for Psalm 84 …

This psalm is talking about being in the presence of God. And so throughout the history of God’s people in the Old Testament, God had set up a physical place in the middle of his people that would symbolize His presence among them. It started with the Ark of the Covenant that was placed in the tabernacle, which was basically a tent that moved as the people of God moved and symbolized God’s presence among His people. It served as the place where the people would gather together to offer sacrifices and sing praises to God.

Then when King David came to Jerusalem on Mt. Zion, he brought the ark into the city, and the tabernacle was set up there. Later, under King David’s son, King Solomon, this was where the temple was built. So it was a more established placed that signified God’s presence among His people.

Now, when it came to the tabernacle, or the temple, God appointed different people from different families who would be responsible for all the work that would go on in or around the tabernacle and the temple, including: its construction, its maintenance, its operation in the worship life of Israel. So different people from different families had different assignments: some priests, some Levites, some others doing different duties. This is where the sons of Korah come in.

So look at 1 Chronicles 9 at this list of names and families. If you look real quickly at verse 10 it’s talking about the priests. Verse 14 is talking about the Levites. Then you get to verse 17. Read what it says there.

The gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their kinsmen (Shallum was the chief); until then they were in the king’s gate on the east side as the gatekeepers of the camps of the Levites. Shallum the son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, and his kinsmen of his fathers’ house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, keepers of the thresholds of the tent, as their fathers had been in charge of the camp of the LORD, keepers of the entrance.

Did you hear that? The Korahites, the sons of Korah, “were in charge of the work of the service, keepers of the thresholds of the tent.” So this was the designated responsibility of the sons of Korah. They were gatekeepers, who stood at the threshold of the tabernacle. And that’s where they worked. They worked as doorkeepers of the place that God had symbolized as God’s presence in the middle of His people.

Now, understanding that, turn back to Psalm 84, and doesn’t that just shed all kinds of light on what we just read? You know, you almost hear these words from a whole new perspective.

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O LORD of hosts!

My soul longs, yes, faints

for the courts of the LORD …

Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself …

Blessed are those who dwell in your house …

Which is what they did! When he says, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness,” at the end of verse 10, this is not a hypothetical; this is reality. He loves what he does. So this is different from other psalms, like Psalm 42 and 43, that expresses a psalmist’s longing for the presence of God when he’s away from the tabernacle or away from the temple.

There’s a reference to that later in this psalm, as the sons of Korah sing about those who don’t have the privilege of dwelling in the tabernacle that they do. So we’ll get to that, but, first and foremost, this psalm’s a celebration of people who dwell in the very place that symbolizes God’s presence. And they love what they do. They are not bored. They can’t get enough of what they do.

Verse 10, “A day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.” So the psalmist here, representing the sons of Korah, is singing about how he loved to be in God’s presence, how much he loved the dwelling place of God, so much so that he longed, yes faints, to be there. And this from a guy who’s always there! He’s talking about the tabernacle with language of love poetry. There’s an appetite for God here that is insatiable. He wants more and more and more of God. And notice—this is key—it’s not the place that he longs for as much as the Person whose presence dwells in that place.

Now, we’ve got to be careful—just a side note here—when we think about the tabernacle or the temple that symbolized the presence of God—not to think that God was only present there. That’s not what the Old Testament teaches. Even Solomon, when he was dedicated in the temple, said, “Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” Then he goes on to pray (this is from 1 Kings 8):

… that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place …

So catch this: the Bible talks about how God dwells in heaven. At the same time, the Old Testament talks about God’s dwelling on earth in the tabernacle and the temple. And, at the same time, the Bible talks about God being omnipresent, dwelling everywhere on earth and in heaven.

So when you think tabernacle or temple, don’t think the only place where God dwells. Instead, think the place that God shows in the Old Testament to dwell in a particular, powerful way among His people. And if that’s the case, this psalmist wanted to be there. He longed for communion with God in the courts of the tabernacle or the temple. He loved that place, because he longed for God’s presence. He even looks up into the structure of this place, and he sees sparrows and swallows that have set up nests there. And he says, “That is best of all.”

It’s great imagery—the presence of God as the place where the humble find a home. The sparrow used throughout Scripture to describe a humble, lowly, common, seemingly worthless bird. Jesus pointed out in Matthew 10 how two of them are sold for a penny, yet this simple bird finds majestic meaning by having a house in the presence of God. It’s really a great description, when you think about it, of the people of God: humble, lowly, common people who find majestic meaning in gathering before God. The presence of God is a place where the humble find a home.

And where the restless find a refuge, a swallow, a fast-moving bird through the air, back and forth in different directions, wearing out anybody who tries to watch its movements. And yet, here in the presence of God, that same bird, a swallow, builds a nest and settles down to rest with her young. It’s a great illustration of what Augustine, a church father, said: “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.”

So this psalmist, he loved to be in God’s presence, and he loved to sing God’s praise. His heart and his flesh sing for joy to God. And you look at that phrase in verse two, “my heart and my flesh sing for joy.” The Hebrew phrase that’s translated “sing for joy” there is so much more than a simple song. One commentator said, “This is a distinctly inappropriate translation, because the language the psalmist uses here in the Hebrew is really a loud cry.” It’s a longing for God in the psalmist’s heart, and his flesh just leaps, overflowing, and to cry out, not just in songs, but in shouts to God.

And we have a reason to shout to God… I count at least 12 different names and attributes and activities of God specifically mentioned here in this psalm that are worth shouting about. There’s probably more but I’ll point out 12 of them...

First,[v.1] God is the covenant-keeping Lord. God is the covenant-keeping Lord. Verse one: He is the Lord. You’ll notice the word “LORD” in all caps—“O LORD of hosts!” “LORD” in all caps. Whenever you see that in your Bible, you know this is Yahweh, the name by which God revealed Himself to Moses and His people. And He called them out to be His people and entered into covenant with Him. This is the God who reaches down His hand of mercy into sinners’ lives and commits Himself to them. He’s the covenant-keeping Lord.

Second, [v.1]He’s the commander of heavenly armies—“O Lord of hosts!” So He’s not just the Lord; He’s the Lord of hosts—literally, “Yahweh of heavenly armies,” which points already to the security that’s found in His presence that the psalmist is later going to rejoice in.

Third, [v.2] God is the living God. “The God I long for,” the psalmist says, “is not dead.” “My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God,” whose presence is active among His people. So you’ve got this grand picture of God’s greatness. He is the covenant-keeping Lord who commands heavenly armies at His side, who is living and active in the world.

Fourth,[v.3] God is my king. Oh, don’t you love this? At the end of verse three, when he’s talking about the sparrow and swallow, he says, “[They] dwell at your altars, O LORD of hosts.” So he uses that term again—Yahweh over heavenly armies—and then he says, “my king and my God.” So number four, this God is my king. He is my king.

Fifth,[v.3] this God is my God—my king, my God. This is awesome! I mean, just think about this, people of God. Put yourself in the psalmist’s shoes for a minute. He looks up. He sees the glory and the grandeur of God commanding armies in heaven, living and active all across the earth, and the psalmist says, “He is mine.” There’s almost a sense of pride in that, isn’t there? And a good sense at that. This covenant-keeping Lord who commands heavenly armies—He’s mine. He chose me. He’s with me. He’s my God, my king.

Sixth, God is the only God. He’s the only God. Verse seven uses another Hebrew word elohim to describe God as the one, true God. And then verse eight, elohim is combined with Yahweh. So we have “the Lord God over armies.”

Seventh, God is the faithful God. In the second half of verse eight, He’s the God of Jacob. He’s the God who made promises to Jacob centuries before—promises He’s still faithful to today. Just think about it. God has been making and keeping promises to His people for centuries, going all the way back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He’s the God of Jacob.

Eighth, God is the source of light and life to His people. You get down to verses 11, and the psalmist writes, “For the LORD God is a sun …” This is the only place in Scripture where God is ever explicitly called a sun. Usually Scripture shies away from identifying God with a sun because of pagan religions that worshiped the sun. But the psalmist looked up at the light and life the sun brings, and then this is the way he describes being in the presence of God. He shines brightly upon His people.

Ninth,[v.11] God is the shield of protection and provision for His people. The Lord God is a sun and shield, a picture of protection for people who find their refuge in Him.

Tenth, [v.11] God showers His people with His grace. The Lord bestows favor on His people, but they don’t deserve it... even though we don’t deserve it, the Lord bestows favor. He bestows favor. He showers His people with His grace, which leads to number 11.

Eleventh, God surrounds His people with His glory. When verse 11 says, “The LORD bestows favor and honor [on His people],” the literal language is God bestowing grace and glory. And the picture, much like we saw with sun and shield, is God surrounding His people with His glory so that they dwell in it. This is what the tabernacle or temple was all about. This is what dwelling in God’s presence was all about. It’s why David prayed earlier in Psalm 3, “You, O LORD, my glory and the lifter of my head.” As we come into the presence of God, He bestows honor on us, surrounding us with His glory—a privilege, again, we don’t deserve, but He gives it to us as a picture of His favor toward us, which all leads to number 12.

Finally, God shows His people all His goodness. The effect of being in God’s presence is that the psalmist lacks no good thing. With God’s grace on Him and glory around Him, the psalmist rests in God’s goodness to him.

I mean, you put all that together and you realize why the psalmist longs to be in God’s presence and why you and I, if we realize who God is, would love the presence of God like this.

Okay we’ve got to move on to the second blessing...

It was a blessing to journey to the temple

Okay, second blessing the psalmist writes about: it was a blessing to journey to the temple. So we’re trying to keep ourselves in his shoes. It was a blessing to journey to the temple. So right after this first statement of blessing in verse four, he immediately goes into a second statement in verse five, where he writes, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you. (And here’s the key phrase) in whose heart are the highways to Zion.”

Now, Zion is a reference to where the tabernacle or the temple was in Jerusalem. So now the psalmist finds himself talking about people who are far away from the tabernacle or the temple but who find their strength by setting their hearts on the presence of God. Obviously, this was the majority of the people in Israel. Most people lived far away from Jerusalem. Only a relative few actually worked at the temple.

So the psalmist sets his gaze on the people of God who are scattered all throughout the country. And he gives us a picture of the road that leads to Zion and the strength that people find, though far away, when they set their heart’s hope on the presence of God. He describes how hope in God brings strength amidst weakness. Even those who are far away, “blessed are those whose strength is in you.”

Then in verse seven, he uses the imagery of traveling from wherever they are to the presence of God in Zion, saying, “They go from strength to strength.” So the picture is how the hope of God’s presence makes the heart of God’s people strong. And then comes this imagery that’s so potent. He says in verse six, “As they go through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.”

Now, “Baca” is a Hebrew word, meaning “balsam tree.” It was a type of tree that was found in dry, arid landscapes. And the tree was such that resin, like sap, would just ooze out of it, almost like tears, which is why this noun, “Baca,” sounds very similar to the Hebrew verb for weeping and which is why people refer to the Valley of Baca as the Valley of Weeping.

Now, this just brings verse six to life. So the psalmist is talking about people either on a figurative or a literal journey from where they lived to Zion—hearts on a highway that leads there, or maybe feet walking there—from where they are to the presence of God. And while they walk through the Valley of Baca—symbolizing dry and difficult days filled with hardship and hopelessness that causes one to weep—in the middle of that valley, what sustains them is the hope of God’s presence. When they hold on to that hope, even this dry, desolate place becomes a valley of springs and pools from which they can drink and be satisfied.

So see it. The psalmist is not only describing how hope in God brings strength amidst weakness, he’s describing how hope in God brings joy amidst weeping. Joy amidst weeping brought about by hope in God. Tears of sadness become springs of joy when the pilgrim looks to the presence of God. That’s the picture here.

“It was a blessing to journey to the temple,” the psalmist says, “both physically and spiritually, to set one’s gaze in the presence of God, and even from afar to find strength in weakness and joy amidst weeping. All that leads to the final blessing in verse 12.

It was a blessing to live with trust in God

It was a blessing to live with trust in God. So right after he talks about walking uprightly before God, the psalmist says in verse 12, “O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!” So wherever one lives—at the tabernacle or temple gates or far away from the tabernacle or temple gates—blessed is the one who walks with all of their trust placed in God.

Now, these are the blessings that the psalmist was describing in Old Testament Israel at a time when God was dwelling in a particular way among His people in Jerusalem in a tabernacle or a temple. But this psalm happens in the middle of this book, and there is more to come in the rest of this book that helps us understand how this psalm applies to our lives.

So I want to take you on a quick journey of what happens after this. Turn with me over—you can leave Psalm 84 now—go with over to John 1. It’s the fourth Gospel, the fourth account of Jesus’s life, and ministry, and death and resurrection. So we don’t travel to Jerusalem today to worship at a temple. And for that matter, we don’t set our gaze to pray in a certain direction. So why not? The answer to that question leads us to the startling truth of John 1:14.

John starts his Gospel very different from the other Gospel writers. He doesn’t start telling us about all the circumstances that surrounded Jesus coming into the world. We don’t have a manger here and a stable. We don’t have some of the things that we see in other Gospel writers. Instead, John gives us a glimpse of the identity of who this Jesus is who is coming into the world.

Listen to what he says. John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Now, in the very beginning of this chapter, we see the Word associated with God—identified with God:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

So when you get down to verse 14, you see “the Word became flesh.” The picture is God becoming flesh. And then when you get to that word, “dwelt,” you might circle it. Maybe put a little note out somewhere in your Bible. Because that word, “dwelt,” is the same word used in the Old Testament to describe the tabernacle. So you might make a little note, because it’s literally saying, “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” The whole picture is God coming, tabernacling among His people. This was the good news of who Jesus is. He was coming into the world, John says, to dwell in the middle of His people, and in Jesus we would see, “Behold! The glory of God!”

Which is why in the next chapter—look at John 2—Jesus was having a discussion with some Jews at the temple there in Jerusalem. And in verse 19, look at what Jesus said. In verse 19, Jesus said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” “Destroy this temple.” So he’s talking about the temple—this place which symbolizes the presence of God. He says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then look at what happens in verse 20. The Jews said, “It was taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” They’re saying, “How could you do that?” In verse 21, it says, “But (John says) he was speaking about the temple of his body.”

Jesus was telling the Jewish people that He was the temple. He’s pointing forward to when He would die on a cross and three days later rise from the dead. He was saying to them, “I am the place where the glory of God dwells. I am the place that symbolizes God’s presence among His people. I am the temple.” It’s why He says later in John 14:9, “If you have seen me, you have seen God the Father.”

In the temple there was a curtain that symbolized the separation between God and man. But at Jesus death that curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom… in Jesus’ death for sinners, God was making a way for man to be reconciled to God.

This is the greatest news in all the world. You and I have sinned against God. We’ve all—in different ways, it looks different in each of our lives—we’ve all turned aside from God. We’ve rebelled against God. We’ve done things our own way instead of His way. We are separated from God.

The good news is God has not left us alone in our separation. He’s not left us alone in the darkness of our rebellion against Him. The light of life has come. The Word became flesh. God has come to us. He has lived among us—a life of perfect obedience to God, with no sin. And then He died. And now death is the payment for sin. He took the payment that was to your sin and my sin, and when He died— He opened the way for you and I who’ve rebelled against God to be brought back into the presence of God.

So Jesus, the temple, the glory of God has come. He’s made a way for you and I to be reconciled to God when we turn from our sin and trust in Him. So that’s our invitation to every person who has not done that. We invite you in glory to turn from your sin. Trust in Christ—what He has done—and be reconciled to God today.

And then—so follow this—then when you do, listen to what Scripture describes. First Corinthians 3:16: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” This is not talking about Jesus as the temple, but you as the temple.

For the Christian now...

It is a blessing to be the temple

So now get the application of Psalm 84. You see, for the psalmist then, it was a blessing to work in the tabernacle or the temple. But you and I don’t work as doorkeepers in the tabernacle or the temple. We’ve got something far better—something only the psalmist could have dreamed of. For the psalmist then, it was a blessing to work in the temple. Now, for the Christian, it is a blessing to be the temple—to be the place where the glory of God’s presence dwells in your body. That radically changes the way we live.

You and I live with the presence of God in us. We wake up in the morning and rub our eyes with the presence of God in us. We walk through every detail of our day—at home, and at work, and the ball field, wherever else—with the presence of God with us. And we lay down at night with the presence of God in us. Blessed are those—not who dwell in God’s house—blessed are those whose bodies house the glory of God!

And that’s what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6. This changes the way you live. It changes the way you act and you think. It changes the way you speak and you love—literally walking in the worship of God. And then, on a corporate level, when we gather together, there is indeed something unique—utterly unique—about this gathering, because God is among us, as the Church.

When we gather together as the people of God—as the temple of God—we’re singing His praise. We’re singing, shouting for joy to the living God. And so our hearts long for this. This is no casual thing we do once a week, certainly not once every few weeks. This is a blessing. Blessed are those who gather together as the temple to celebrate the glory of their God! So for the psalmist then, it was a blessing to work in the temple. For the Christian now, it’s a blessing to be the temple.

It is a blessing to journey to heaven

And then … So for the psalmist in Psalm 84 it was a blessing to journey to the temple. What about the Christian now? We’re not going on any pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but does that mean the highways of our heart have no hope? No. So think about at least one more application of Psalm 84 to us today. For the psalmist, it was a blessing to journey to the temple. For the Christian now, it is a blessing to journey to heaven.

Now, it’s not that this wasn’t true for the psalmist then, but think about this in an even greater way, based on what we know in the rest of the Bible. So turn with me to one last book, the last book of the Bible, Revelation 21. Now, as you’re turning, realize you’re turning past verses like 1 Peter 2:11 that talks about how Christians are exiles and strangers on this earth. Hebrews 11 describes us, along with Old Testament men and women who went before us in the faith, as exiles and strangers who are looking for a homeland. We’re desiring a better country. It is a heavenly one.

When you get to Revelation 21, you see that country. You see that homeland described. And this is what it says. Revelation 21:1:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem (Okay? Not Jerusalem of old, the new Jerusalem. Not Zion of old, the new Zion) coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Do you see what the distinctive feature of heaven is? Over and above all physical descriptions of the beauty of heaven that will be there, the most important thing about heaven is not what is there, but who is there. The dwelling of God will be with man in this city, which is why, later in this chapter, heaven is described with measurements that match the shape of the temple in the Old Testament. And the whole point is finally, finally all those who’ve trusted in Christ will be fully reconciled to God.

So is God with us right now? Absolutely, He is! Is God’s presence dwelling in Christians? Absolutely! His Holy Spirit is in us, with us, right now, but we are longing for more. Aren’t we? The highways of our hearts are set on the hope of a day when sin and suffering will be no more, and we will be with God in perfect, pure, endless joy forever and ever.

Now, in the meantime, on this earth we sometimes—maybe often—find ourselves walking in the Valley of Baca. On this earth, there is weeping, and there is dryness, and there is darkness at times. There is real struggle in this world. There is fight for joy on some—maybe many, days—a fight with which many people among us are familiar. This fight may be in the past, or in the present or will be in the future.

So what do you do on those days? The answer that Psalm 84 gives us is to keep our hearts—to keep your heart—fixed and fastened on your hope in God. Even when the journey in the present seems bleak, to lift your eyes—to fight to lift your eyes—to the hope you have in God. It’s exactly what Psalm 84 is teaching us.

Don’t darkness and difficulty often come when we feel alone? Or isolated? And Psalm 84 says to the alone and the isolated, “You have a home with God.”

Aren’t darkness and difficulty oftentimes associated with feelings of restlessness or maybe even worthlessness? And Psalm 84 says to the restless, “You have refuge in God.” It says to the worthless, “You have worth before God.”

And in the midst of darkness isn’t our greatest need a source of light and life? In the midst of difficulty isn’t our greatest need a shield of protection and provision? All of these things are found in God. So set your heart’s hope on Him. This is where Psalm 84 left us. Last verse: “O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!” It is a blessing to live with trust in God, even in the midst of darkness and even in the midst of difficulty.

It is a blessing to live with trust in Christ

But take that even a step further. So, yes, for the psalmist then, it was a blessing to live with trust in God. But, again, we know more. So for the Christian now, we know it is a blessing to live with trust in Jesus Christ. For God has sent His Son, Word made flesh to us, and He has identified with us. He was hurt as you hurt. He experienced sorrow as you experience sorrow. He knows what it’s like to be abandoned, and He knows what it’s like to feel alone. He knows what it’s like to look to God the Father in the midst of utter darkness and ask, “Why?” He identifies with you, and He says, “Trust in me. Trust in me.”

Trust in the one who has walked through the dark night and has come out on the other side in victorious light. He has conquered sin and sorrow. He has defeated death and hell, and He is coming back. Oh, He’s coming back to bring all who trust in Him on this earth to glory with Him in eternity, where He will wipe every single tear from your eyes. And He will heal every ache in your heart. Put your hope in Christ.