A game that shows up at many parties today is called “Would You Rather?” The game presents the choice between two random things and asks, “Would you rather” do this or that? It’s designed to be fun, as folks make some wacky choices.
The psalmist wasn’t playing a game when he made his “I’d rather” choice. When the psalmist considered the two very different paths that his life could take, he made this not-so-easy-for-some decision: “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” (Psa. 84:10).
Suppose you were playing the game and a question came to you: “Would you rather be a lowly servant in God’s tent or a well-to-do resident in the world’s tent?” Oh, remember this: “The Lord God is a sun and shield [to those in His house]; The Lord will give grace and glory [to those in His house]; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly [in His house]” (84:11). Pretty easy decision now, isn’t it?