A Hunger for God Through Every Valley

Psalm 84 holds out three blessings: an appetite for God, strength in the Lord, and trust in him. The older brother in Luke 15 gives a picture of the opposite heart. His refusal to join the celebration was not about hunger. His heart simply was not in it. The same heart issue can turn gathering with God’s people into nothing more than an obligation.

The psalmist longs for the house of God. His soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord. The sparrows nesting near the altar have something he wants: a home where he longs to stay. That appetite reaches beyond showing up and singing a song. God’s house is a place for feeding on his Word, praising him, and finding encouragement among his people. An appetite for God changes “have to” into “get to.”

A lost appetite deserves attention. Spiritual dryness can leave worship feeling like another job to get done. Psalm 51 points toward the right response: asking God to restore the joy of salvation. A hungry heart comes expecting something from God rather than waiting to be force fed.

Psalm 84 then turns from appetite to strength. The journey toward God leads through the Valley of Baca, a place of weeping, sorrow, and struggle. That valley comes in all shapes and sizes, from sickness and loss to trouble in a family. But the word “through” matters. The valley is not a place to set up residence, and God does not leave his people to travel it alone.

God also works in the valley. His Word, received in worship and quiet times, supplies strength when trouble comes. The desert blooming after rain pictures those forgotten seeds coming to life. God can turn a dry place into a flower garden, showing his goodness through a life that is still struggling but still trusting him.

The final blessing belongs to the person who trusts in God. The psalmist would rather stand at the door of God’s house than live among the wicked. God’s victory through Gideon’s little army shows why strength cannot rest in numbers or equipment. The Lord himself is a sun and shield, giving direction and protection, grace now and glory ahead. His promise withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly. An appetite for God, strength drawn from God, and trust in God belong together.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. A lost appetite needs heart attention. Spiritual dryness is not something to ignore or settle into. The contrast between obligation and desire exposes a heart that needs more than another completed duty. Psalm 51 gives that dryness somewhere to go: to God for the restoration of salvation’s joy. [48:10]
• 2. Gathered worship supplies strength for valleys. God’s Word plants resources that may not seem urgent until trouble comes. The practice of gathering brings encouragement and nourishment before the next hard phone call or painful loss. Those times of feeding on Scripture are not wasted, even when their fruit appears much later. [58:18]
• 3. The valley is not permanent residence. Psalm 84 describes passage through Baca, not a home built in sorrow. God’s presence does not make the tears unreal, but it means the struggle is not faced alone. The word “through” gives grief a horizon beyond the valley without pretending the road is easy. [55:13]
• 4. Trust rests on God’s proven faithfulness. God’s reduction of Gideon’s army stripped away the appearance of human strength. The victory left no room for confidence in impressive numbers or equipment. Trust grows as an appetite for God and strength from his Word bring his past faithfulness back into view. [1:07:57]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [36:27] - Psalm 84 and the Older Brother
• [38:41] - An Appetite for God
• [44:35] - Obligation or Eager Expectation
• [47:54] - Restoring a Lost Appetite
• [50:57] - Strength for the Journey
• [53:00] - Passing Through the Valley of Baca
• [58:02] - From Dry Ground to a Flower Garden
• [1:04:31] - The Blessing of Trusting God
• [1:06:08] - Gideon and Dependence on God
• [1:08:53] - The Lord Is a Sun and Shield
• [1:10:33] - Closing Prayer

Bible Reading

Psalm 84
“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! Selah. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah. Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!” [36:44]

Luke 15:25-32
“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.' But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, 'Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!' And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” [36:55]

Psalm 51:12
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” [48:10]

Observation questions

1. How does the older brother’s refusal to enter the celebration in Luke 15:25–32 contrast with the psalmist’s desire to be near God in Psalm 84:1–4? [38:41]
2. What details about the birds in Psalm 84:3 help show the psalmist’s longing for God’s house? [46:10]
3. In Psalm 84:5–7, what happens as the travelers move through the Valley of Baca? What images of refreshment and strength appear along the way? [58:05]
4. What comparisons does the psalmist make in Psalm 84:10, and what do they reveal about what he values most? [01:05:14]

Interpretation questions

1. How does the older brother’s response show that someone can remain close to the father’s house while being out of step with the father’s heart? How might that same disconnect appear in a person’s church involvement? [38:41]
2. Why is asking God to restore the joy of salvation a better response to spiritual dryness than simply trying harder to fulfill religious duties? How does Psalm 51:12 help explain this? [48:10]
3. How can the journey through Baca in Psalm 84:5–7 offer hope to someone facing long-lasting grief or illness without suggesting that faithful people must recover quickly? [56:40]
4. How should the promise of God’s goodness in Psalm 84:11 be understood alongside the sorrow described earlier in the psalm? Why does trusting God’s goodness differ from expecting every desired outcome? [01:09:23]

Application questions

1. Thinking about the last few times you gathered for worship, did you come mostly out of obligation, with eager expectation, or somewhere in between? What seems to be shaping your attitude right now? [45:00]
2. Have you noticed a loss of appetite for prayer, Scripture, or fellowship? If you’re comfortable sharing, what might be weighing on your heart, and what would you like to ask God to restore? [48:21]
3. Gathering with God’s people offers nourishment and encouragement. What is one small way you could come more ready to receive from God and encourage someone else at your next gathering? [45:47]
4. Can you remember a Bible truth that became especially meaningful during a hard season, perhaps long after you first heard it? What could help you keep taking in God’s Word during this season of life? [58:18]
5. If you are walking through a valley now, what would help you remember that you are not alone? What kind of support from this group would be genuinely helpful, without rushing you through your sorrow? [57:42]
6. Where are you tempted to place your confidence in your own resources, plans, or abilities rather than in God? How might remembering a specific example of his past faithfulness help you take one step of trust this week? [01:08:02]