Longings

 Psalm 83:

13 O my God, make them like whirling dust,

    like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest,
    as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so may you pursue them with your tempest
    and terrify them with your hurricane!
16 Fill their faces with shame,
    that they may seek your name, O Lord.

Psalm 84

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,

    O Lord of hosts!

2 My soul longs, yes, faints

    for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and flesh sing for joy

    to the living God.

3 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.

4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,

    ever singing your praise! Selah

The above two psalms reveal and different, yet similar kind of longing. The first, a psalm of Asaph, is a plea for something to do with the fact that the surrounding nations of Israel are harassing her, stealing territory, making her shiver with fear.  The Psalmist pleads for God to deal with them as He had done previously during the time of the Judges.  Eventually he comes back to true perspective, asking God not just to punish them, but to bring them to a realization of Who He is and to worship Him. The second one, a psalm of the Sons of Korah, resembles something we would expect from David, with a longing to be in God's house worshipping Him.  For whatever reason - possibly also outside interference - regular worship was not taking place. Throughout the psalm the plea resounds: even a bird has a place for rest; so should we.  The psalm ends with some beautiful lyrics you may recognize. Both are worth the read.