Psalm 122:1-2 "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. (2) Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem."
I admit that I am a people watcher. Back in the days of the malls, you might
have seen me sitting on one of the benches outside of a store. I would look at
the faces of the people and it seemed that all too many times, their faces were
not gleesome; rather, they would be stern or sad. Not being a shopper, I could
understand why the men would not have on their happy faces, but this seemed to
grow more and more to be the case. The cares and stresses of life seem to have
taken a toll on people to the point that their joy was fading very quickly.
For the writer of this Psalm, the thought of going into the house of the Lord
caused him to brighten and cheer up. One of the definition words was
"gleesome." When was the last time you were gleeful? I just wrote
about one scenario, but now I look at the faces of the people as I "go
into the house of the LORD." There is quite the difference. Smiles are on
their faces. There is a joy that is expressed as "brothers and sisters in
the Lord" come together and share their love for God and each other. What
is it about church that brings out the best in us? For some, it might be the
voices singing praise unto the Lord. For others, they may love the pastor and
his approach to the Word of God. But deep within, the joy that comes from being
in the house of the Lord comes from the fact that our Saviour has promised to
meet us there. Jesus promised "where two or three are gathered together in
my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Just now,
I want us to think about, and be thankful for, the fact that we can escape the
struggles of life for a little while as we enter the doors of God's House. I'm
so thankful for each opportunity to gather with the Lord's people for one
purpose and that is to lift up the name of Jesus. As we lift His name in our
hearts and minds, He lifts us up above the cares of life. Thank you, Jesus!
(Tomorrow, we will look at verse 2)
He Lifted Me by Charles Gabriel
1 In loving kindness Jesus came,
my soul in mercy to reclaim,
and from the depths of sin and shame,
through grace He lifted me.
Refrain:
From sinking sand He lifted me,
with tender hand He lifted me,
from shades of night to plains of light,
O praise His name, He lifted me!