Thankful, Day Sixty-Two

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

Today's action is ENTER. It follows the same thought as coming before the Lord's presence, except it is referring to a specific place of worship. In the Old Testament, that was the Tabernacle, God's portable dwelling place that served Israel for 500 years, or the Temple, which served Israel for nearly 1000 years. But what does that mean to us? How do we enter His gates and His courts?

Does it mean the church as a building or a place? After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the disciples continued to meet together in the upper room, in the temple, and from house to house. Paul always attended synagogue until they wouldn't have him anymore, and then he found public forums in which to teach. Even though there is no indication that the Apostles placed any importance on the specific place, they did have specific places that they met. And I think it's a good practice today to go to a place with other believers to worship God. It doesn't have to be the Crystal Cathedral or the Little Brown Church in the Vale. But I believe there should definitely be a place where people go to worship the Lord from time to time.

As individuals, we are each the temple of the Holy Spirit. He resides in us, and makes our heart his home. So I suppose it could also be said that entering the gates and courts of the Lord could be seen as looking inward to the presence of Christ in us. And there are certainly times when we need to be alone with God, shut in with him in a secret place, communing with him and getting to know him. Jesus said we should go into our closets to pray, and often went off by himself to do so. But being in relationship with God isn't about solitude; it's about community. When we are in relationship with God, we are in relationship with each other, because of the Spirit of God living in all of us. So there is a time and a place to look within to worship the Lord; but there is also certainly a time and a place to look without for corporate worship with other believers.

After all, corporately we are the church. We are the body of Christ. We are his hands and his feet, his eyes, ears, nose and throat. We are individually members of the body of Christ, but together we parts make up the greater whole. This can be said of any local church congregation. It can also be said of each individual in the worldwide company of believers. And I believe it can be said of each church working as a part of the whole. Didn't Jesus say where two or three gather in his name, he is also there with them? So whenever believers assemble, no matter how many, they have convened the body, conjoined the temple, and there they can meet with God.

And since the earth is the Lord's and everything that is in it; since heaven is his throne and earth his footstool; since He is everywhere present all of the time, I believe it would be safe to say that wherever we go, there we are in the presence of God. Yes, we can go places to enter his gates, worshiping alone or with other people. But in all practicality, anywhere we go we need to enter with thanksgiving and praise to the one who is God of all!

God, I'm thankful for your power, for you can do what no other power can do, and whatever you do, you do it well.

I'm thankful for your presence, because wherever I go you are with me, and you never leave me nor forsake me.

I'm thankful for your promises, which are faithful and true, and will always be fulfilled in the lives of those who love you.

Thank you God that you never let us go, and you never let us down! You are good!