Family road trips are a cross between fun and frustrating, especially when children who have been buckled up for too long begin to ask the dreaded four-word phrase: “Are we there yet?”

Children have a different sense of time than adults and their patience can dissipate quickly, which in turn causes many parents to lose their own forbearance.

But once the family’s destination has been reached, the joy of fellowship erases the exhaustion of travel.

In Psalm 84, the psalmist expresses his longing for God and His house as a pilgrim here on Earth. The verses in the psalm describe a deep yearning to revel in God’s presence.

The psalmist desires to go to God’s house to commune with Him because he knows that there is a blessing that can only be found in where God is.

In verse three, he comments on the sparrow and the swallow having a place of rest and then quickly discusses his desired place of rest: God’s house, a place of neverending praise. The passage is a Biblical cry of “Are we there yet?”

While experiencing difficulties in our pilgrim journey, we don’t lose heart because we know we’re nearing God’s house. We’re not there yet, but we’re close.