Better is One Day

August 7, 2022 

We’re starting a new message series called: “BETTER!” Each week we’re looking at a verse in Scripture with the word “better.” I want something better. Do you want something better? We’ll learn a better way to live. 

In the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 2, God creates the world and creates Adam. God says, “it’s not good for man to be alone.” Then God creates the birds and the wild animals and livestock. But none of them are that companion that will mean the man is not alone. So, God creates woman. And when God introduces the woman to the man, the man says, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” Adam says, “Now this is better!” 

This is better than being the only human on earth! Life was good for Adam, but God stepped in and made his life better! 

For the next five weeks we’ll think about how, God doesn’t just want an ok life for you. He offers something better, a life of knowing and serving Him. 

Today we are looking at Psalm 84. Psalms are songs people used to sing, but we don’t have the music anymore. Psalm 84 says, “Lord, how lovely is your dwelling place. My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord!  

You may wonder, what is this “courts of the Lord,” and why would you yearn for these courts? Well, they are not basketball courts or courts of justice. These courts represented the presence of God because God would dwell in the temple. So, when people came to the temple, they would feel close to God. 

Today’s verse is from Psalm 84:10, “Better is one day in your courts, than a thousand elsewhere. That means better is one day in your presence Lord, then a thousand days anywhere else. 

Then it says, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” A doorkeeper is the lowest kind of job. “I’d rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.’ Psalm 84:10, again is “Better is one day in your courts, than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” 

Already we know this psalm writer is not a party animal. No, he is sold out on God and just wants to move into the temple! So many people in our world wonder, why would they ever wake up early on a Sunday, and go to church, where it’s hot, and follow a bunch of rules, so you become miserable and judgmental!  

They think life should be a party! But after a while, sin comes back to cause you problems. It will mess you up. This Psalmist lived life away from God, but then realized, life is better with God! Better to spend the day with God. 

How or why is a day with God better? God offers so much: forgiveness of your sins, you know you are accepted and worthy and loved by God. The Lord offers joy: even when tough times come God gives joy and supernatural peace. A day with God is better because you have his divine calling and purpose for your life. God created me with a unique contribution to make in this world and knowing that makes my day! 

I’m not saying you will never have trials or difficulties when you live life with God. But you have God with you in the storm. I’d rather be in a boat in a storm with Jesus than on the shore without him. Because a day with God is better than a thousand elsewhere! 

So how do we have a day with God? Can we do it? I think it’s great to have a devotional time: 10 or 15 minutes: or even 5 if that’s what you have, to read Scripture, listen to what God seems to tell you through it, thank and praise God, and pray for needs and people. That‘s great but think about it: that’s 10 minutes with God, not a day. It’s 10 minutes, then you put the Bible away, and it can feel like you put God away.  

There was a monk who thought about this 400 years ago. Brother Lawrence lived in France and served in the military during the 30-year war. In an attack he was made lame. When he was 26, he decided to be like his uncle who was a monk. He went to a monastery. Monks pray a lot during the day. But they also have chores. Brother Lawrence enjoyed praying, but then he had the job of washing dishes, which was a bummer to him. For some of us, it is hard to find joy in dishwashing. Is there anybody who enjoys washing dishes? Do you just love it when it’s time to take out the trash? Brother Lawrence did not! But then he realized, he could wash dishes for the love of God. He could turn a pancake for God. He could pick up a piece of straw from the ground for God. He began to live his life, not just his prayer life, but his entire day, he lived for God. People would come to listen to his wisdom. They like Brother Lawrence because he was humble and approachable, and his teaching was very practical. He wrote a book, The Practice of the Presence of God. Brother Lawrence wrote “There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God.” Better is one day when you live it in continual conversation with God. 

For you and me, what would one day with God be like? I can get very distracted. I can start praying, and then think, oh, I have a load of laundry to move, or it’s recycling night. It’s hard enough to pray for 5 minutes. How do you spend a day with God? Most days I send off texts to people, throughout the day. Sometimes I communicate by email, sometimes by phone. It’s lot of short bursts of communication with people I know, and people I care about. Think about this, think about communication with God in the same way. It doesn’t have to be an hour of spiritual warfare prayer in the morning. It doesn’t have to be just “God bless this meal” or a prayer at the end of the day. But think instead of short bursts of communication ongoing all the time, throughout the entire day. 

So maybe you are driving to work and see a beautiful sunrise: and you say, “Wow God, that is a stupendous sunrise! You’re showing off! You are great God!” 

Or you listen to a worship song, and you say, “O thank you God that I get to be in your presence!” 

Then you think, “My boss is being a… God, give me the grace to deal with her today!” 

You see someone and they look sad. You ask, “God I pray that you will work in that’s person’s life.” or “Lord, help me say something to encourage that person today.” 

Or you think, I pray for my son and his job interview, or my granddaughter and her test. 

Just like that, throughout the day ongoing communication with God. You’re aware of the presence of God. You talk with Him about anything and everything and guess what? You’re having a day with God. 

I encourage you to think of it as sending a text, or smiling at whoever is in front of you, thanking God throughout the day. Better is one day when you live it in continual conversation with God. 

My homework for you is to ask yourself, in what way would my life be better if I had an ongoing awareness of God’s presence with me? 

There’s a normal way to live life. Then there’s a better way: to call on God for help or guidance throughout the day, to thank him for the little moments of beauty, and to pray for people you encounter. God is right there with you when you wash the dishes and when you take out the trash. At the end of your day, you want to look back and say, I saw God working all over the place today! Step into a better life. Not just a good life. The better life of living in the presence of God. Amen.