How blessed is the man whose strength is in God

This morning I was reading Psalm 84...all of which is beautiful, but I was particularly struck by verses 5-7:

How blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
In whose heart are the highways to Zion!
Passing through the valley of Baca [weeping] they make it a spring;
The early rain also covers it with blessings.
They go from strength to strength,
Every one of them appears before God in Zion.

It grieves me to recognize how little my strength has been in God for this last while...At least, how little compared to what I knew during a season of my life when He led me into a desert to be alone with Him. This was a figurative desert, a place of the soul (although I also had the opportunity to spend a few days in Arizona in the midst of that time, which was a special joy and a meaningful time). And though I did pass through a valley of weeping and wondering, I look back and realize it was one of the deepest, richest spiritual times of my life. Where else is it more natural to cry, "Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:25-26)."

I need to learn to find my strength and hope and joy in God alone now, in an abundant season. I need the "highways to Zion" in my heart -- an orientation towards and a focus on God as my life and my destination. The joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10); this is what I need to call to mind in situations of trial, when I may be tempted to be dismayed or grumpy or even bitter. I desire to give life and joy to others, and what better place than in such times?

Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 62:8

At all times. In times of distress, yes. But also in times of abundance. Our need for Him is every bit as real in both scenarios, but is more disguised in the latter.

May I say always, in the context of tremendous blessing or that of tremendous sorrow or stretching:

...You are my Lord;
I have no good besides You...
The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You support my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
Psalm 16:2, 5-6