PSALM 122

A Song of Ascents. Of David. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.” 2 Our feet have been standing Within your gates, O Jerusalem! 3 Jerusalem is built As a city that is compact together, 4 Where the tribes go up, The tribes of the LORD, To the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the LORD. 5 For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. 7 Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.” 8 For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, “Peace [be] within you.” 9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good.

PSALM 122:1-9

LET US GO INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

It’s fun to hear all the reasons that people don’t attend church. Sometimes it’s hard to keep a straight face. It’s like “really? That’s the reason you don’t come to church?” I could list them all and try and answer each one, but for each argument lobbied, a dozen new ones would come up. It would be like whack-a-mole and no one likes to do that. 

What is a whole lot more interesting is the reason that people give for going to church! I love to hear folks talk about worshiping God and what the Lord has done! I never get tired of hearing testimonies of changed lives! I’ve longed to take a skeptic by the hand and walk them through our church (the people, not the building) and say, “Listen to this man, he met Jesus and came off drugs! How about this woman here! She met Jesus at 83! And this couple over here, they were at home one night when a neighbor knocked on the door and shared, ‘I have a burden for you.’ This one over here was in a revival meeting as a teenager and the Holy Spirit gripped his heart! Wait there is more, this little girl was led to the Lord by her momma. This woman was in church one day and she heard about God’s grace. This boy had a friend die and it awakened him to the reality of God and he began asking questions about Jesus. This man was alone in his shed and the Holy Spirit brought the word of God home! This girl was at camp and her family was praying for her when she was gripped by the Holy Spirit!” When you see church that way (all those people living out an imperfect faith in a perfect God) you have a lot to celebrate when you get together! I look forward to Sunday every week! For me it’s the day that we all get together and celebrate what the Lord has done in our lives, we pray for one another, and we seek His will!

What is your attitude like when going to worship? There will always be a lot to complain about if you are looking for that sort of thing, but there is so much more to celebrate!

How you enter worship matters. It shows your attitude towards God and His people. When you’ve been looking forward to worship all week long, you will enter worship with anticipation and joy. That’s the first thing we learn from this psalm. Look forward to gathered worship each week! Are you looking forward to Sunday? I hope you are!

PRAYER

Father, Thank you for this incredible reminder that attitude matters! I am grateful that you have blessed us with the opportunity to know and worship with so many wonderful people! I know that you live and reign in their hearts and I look forward to the day when your kingdom comes in it’s fullness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.