My Joy and My Total Protection
[A Paraphrase of Psalm 84 (NIV)]

by Tiffany Nicole Fletcher

There’s nothing better than your presence, O God!
In the deepest part of my being, all I want is to abide with you;
every part of me is asking you to draw near.
You have made a way for every living thing to be close to you,
wonderful Savior and lover of my heart.
When we live in an awareness of your presence, we have everything we need;
it makes our grateful hearts sing.

We have everything we need when we rely on you,
when we’re seeking you with the deepest part of ourselves.
Then we can go through the most barren of seasons,
and still grow verdant gardens in our lives;

and you then add even more blessings on top of that.

Living like this, we experience one victory after another,
leaning on you through it all,
until our days end and we come home to you.

Listen to my plea, Lord;
hear the cries of my heart
I, the one you love, pray for your blessing.

One day spent communing with you is better than anything else I could ever do.
(To know you is the gift above all gifts);
I would choose to have even the faintest knowledge of your goodness
than to live as if I had never known you at all.
For you are my joy and my total protection;
You bless me and I am precious and worthy in your sight;
You are always eagerly waiting to help those who love you.

My God, the one who believes you love them has everything they need.