“Enter His courts with thanksgiving and, into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4
Dear Ones:
I heard the story once of a dear servant of the Lord, who, before she had her personal devotions in the morning with the Lord, would make sure that she looked her finest before coming to worship Him. Why? She had a grasp of something of the tremendous privilege it is to come before God. In Nehemiah’s day, he held the position of cup-bearer before King Artazerxes. Being an exile in captivity, he still longed for God to be glorified in the city of Jerusalem. Upon hearing the distressing news of the state of the wall of Jerusalem, and the condition of the people, he was sad in the king’s presence. Upon seeing this, the king addressed Nehemiah, attributing his demeanor to “sadness of heart,” something that a servant of the king was never to have. Why? It was because the greatness of the king overshadowed, and eclipsed all else, especially the small needs of his servants. For one of his servants to consider that his rights and needs (in this case to be sad) were of greater importance than the concerns of the king, was a very serious offense.
One of the great psalms of the Bible is Psalm 100, because we are brought to see what it means to come before God. What then is the difference between coming before Him and an earthly king? First of all, with regard to God, we are to come joyfully, even singing. Why? It is because of the extraordinary privilege, but also, and most importantly, of WHO He is. God is not a sinful, imperfect despot. On the contrary, the psalmist tells us that first and foremost, “He…made us.” (v.3) What does this imply? It reveals to us His knowledge, wisdom, power, mercy, graciousness…love. The list goes on and on. Secondly, “We are the sheep of His pasture.” He is that One who is our perfect provider and protector, to whom we belong forever. And thirdly, “God is good…whose mercy is everlasting.” There is not anything in and of God that is not perfectly GOOD. And in His dealings with us, His mercy is fathomless and endless. These are the reasons for which we should make a joyful noise in coming before Him. They are also the reasons for which we should enter His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Thanksgiving is the testimony that we SEE and understand that we have received all things GOOD by His hand. His praise in our hearts and upon our lips attributes to Him the highest thoughts and declarations of worth that we can possibly give.
In coming before God, if we are to be of the aforementioned disposition of heart and mind, then we must leave our sins at the gate, our cares and fears behind at His feet. There is no thought of self in His presence if we are to worship and serve Him “with gladness.” So, let us understand WHO the Father is, and come in Jesus’ great name, to worship God by the Spirit for His glory, with joy.
Father, give us to live by Thy Son’s joy this day. Strengthen our hearts to lay at Thy feet, at the gate and the door, all sin and the weight of care, so that today, we may, by the Spirit rejoice evermore in Thy presence as we live unto Thee. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad