LEAVE IT TO CLEAVER: Are You Ready To Worship In God's House?
“I long and yearn for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out forthe living God” (Psa. 84:2 CSB). I do not sense a lot of yearning for God’s house among my fellow church attenders. It is a sound of whooshing as the congregation arrives with a second to spare or perhaps a second or two late. Fast food and COVID have made us ready to be quickly served. If the church service is too long (getting to be over 30 to 45 minutes), we lose attention and are ready to move out the door. Then as the service ends, there is a whoosh of flowing air leaving the room as all dash out the door.
There is no arriving early to pray. There is no silence of reverence within the hallowed walls of the church house. It sounds like the parking lot at a big box store where everyone is yelling to recount the gossip of the week. As the prelude sounds, our voices rise not in anthems but in decibels to be heard speaking to our neighbors. Even at communion or the Lord’s Supper, there is the thought of “Let’s get this over with so we can get out of here to go or do whatever.” It seems no one contemplates the body and the blood of Christ.
Our behavior is the opposite of what this Psalm is trying to tell us — “How happy are those who reside in your house, who praise you continually.” Being present in His house is an ultimate ambition for His people. The “Selah” in verse two is there for a reason. It is there to emphasize the importance of the thought — “Think about this! Turn this over in your mind!” The sons of Korah gave more emphasis to being in God’s house as a choice of lifestyle in v. 10: “Better a day in your courts than a thousand anywhere else. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than live in the tents of wicked people.”
When you go to church next Sunday, think about what you are doing. This is the most important event you will attend all week! This is the most critical thing you can do for yourself and for your family. You are going to be in God’s house! Some Christians say, as they begin their services: “Let us worship God!” It is the prelude to all that follows in the next moments in His house. The Lord of Armies stands ready to provide blessings upon blessings as we worship Him. Let us do our part to receive them.
Let the hymn verses below reverberate in our hearts as we come to His house this Sunday. The words of this hymn certainly capture some of the important thoughts regarding the words of this Psalm: “I long and yearn for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out forthe living God” (Psa. 84:2).
“Come, Thou Almighty King, Help us Thy Name to sing, Help us to praise! Father all glorious, o’er all victorious, Come and reign over us, Ancient of Days!...
“To Thee, great One in Three, Eternal praises be, hence, evermore. Thy sovereign majesty may we in glory see, and to eternity love and adore!” (This hymn, at times, is attributed to Charles Wesley.)
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Dr. Tony Cleaver
Dr. Tony Cleaver pens a column titled, Leave It To Cleaver, in which he talks about a wide variety of topics relevant to the modern church and BMA Baptists.
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