When Sunday morning comes around, what is our attitude about coming to church to worship? Is our heart joyful and eager, or do we seek some excuse to not go? How is our heart when we are invited to go with others and attend worship services? Our psalm for this week speaks of those who are anxious and who desire to get together with other like-minded believers to go and worship the Lord God. What about us? As we read through this psalm and see the message the Lord has for us, let’s check how our heart is.
As our psalm opens, King David, the author of our psalm, had been invited by others to go with them to Jerusalem, to the house of the Lord (vs. 1). What was his reaction? He had a heart to worship (vs. 1-2). He didn’t make any excuses, didn’t say he was too busy, that he wanted to relax on his day off, that it was too far, too inconvenient. No, David shares with us that he was glad. Going to God’s house to worship Him can be either a chore that we avoid or are reluctant to do, or it can be something we are glad to do. We are apt to avoid it if we have unconfessed sin, or if our love for God has cooled. But if we are close to God and enjoy His presence, we will want to be there to worship and praise Him.
Why should a believer go to church? We’ve all heard it said that we can worship the Lord anywhere, and that is true. We can worship Him while out in nature, while on our job, and in our homes. And there are some valid reasons why some cannot get together with other believers when they gather together at church. Some people are ill or are shut-ins, or they are caring for these folks. Some people’s jobs require working on Sundays, such as those who work in a hospital, or the police or fire personnel. Or maybe there is not a good church nearby to attend. But otherwise, why is church important? We should obey God and His command to keep the Sabbath. Christians from the days of the Apostles have kept the Lord’s Day of His resurrection as our Sabbath. It is a good practice to have, as the Lord Jesus made it a priority in His life. He went to His place of worship “as His custom was” (Luke 4:16). It is important to have the fellowship, support, and encouragement that other believers can give us. By ourselves it is easy to fall away, get discouraged and depressed. As the Bible says, “a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
King David had a heart for praising God (vs. 3 - 5). It is always good to have a special time and place to meet with God. He desired to be with others of like mind to give thanks and praise to the Lord for all that He had done for himself, personally, and for what He had done for the nation.
Our psalmist, King David, also had a heart for prayer (vs. 6 - 9). One thing that he felt was important to pray for was his capital city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, which means “city of peace”, has been fought over throughout history more than any other city in the world. This prayer will not be truly answered until Jesus, the Prince of Peace, comes to rule there permanently. King David wasn’t praying for himself, but for the peace of Jerusalem, the City of God, the place where God had designated that the Temple was to be built. Jerusalem was greatly loved by David because God revealed Himself there.
This peace is more than just an absence of conflict. It also implies completeness, health, justice, prosperity, and protection. The world cannot bring this type of peace. It is found only through a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He, alone, can give us this peace (John 14:27), and He, alone, embodies the characteristics of peace.
We, too, can pray for peace in Jerusalem, pray that the city would embrace the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, as Savior. We can pray that prayer for peace for cities and countries wherever we are, all around the world, that people would be at peace, and that they would accept Jesus’ peace in their souls, as well.
When the Lord God calls us to worship Him, let us answer that call, and be glad to join with others. Let us have a heart to worship the Lord, to have a heart to praise, and a heart to pray.
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