The Joy and Privilege of Worship

“As the hart, about to falter, in its trembling agony, panteth for the brooks of water, so my soul doth pant for Thee. Yea, athirst for Thee I cry; God of life, O when shall I come again to stand before Thee in Thy temple, and adore Thee?” (Psalter 416:1, a rendition of Psalm 42)

What an image the sons of Korah give us in the opening verses of Psalm 42. Do we think about going to church in the same way? Do we think of it as a refreshing drink on a hot summer day? Sometimes we come begrudgingly. Sometimes because our parents go so we go. Some weeks we come into the LORD’s house laden with the cares of life. Some weeks are burdened by sin and it can be hard to lift our eyes in praise and worship. In both this Psalm and Psalm 84 however, the sons of Korah talk about their love for the LORD’s house. Psalm 84:2 says, “My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD, my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” This develops in verse 10 when the psalmist declares that “a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.” We see that the sons of Korah loved the dwelling place of the LORD, but what can we learn from them? Do we see the importance of loving the church? Do we have this love for the church? We can learn a number of things from them and other inspired authors of Scripture.

1. There is great blessing from going to worship in God’s house (Psalms 84:4). This is also evident in Psalm 92, which has as its subscript a Song for the Sabbath day. Verses 13-14 say, “Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing.”

   
   

2. Going to the house of the LORD provides clarity on situations around us. It may not give us all the exact answers we are looking for but the ultimate things it does. Consider Psalm 73:16-17 “When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me- until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.” Asaph was struggling with how prosperous the wicked were and how they did not have a care in the world. Meanwhile, it seemed that there was no profit in being righteous before God. That is, until he went into the sanctuary of God. He learned there in church, as it were, what would ultimately and eternally become of the righteous and the wicked. Those who do not love the LORD will be destroyed and those who believe in Christ will be saved (Psalms 25:3, 27:13, Psalm 31, Isa. 28:16, Rom. 10:11).

   
   

3. The house of the LORD is something to be desired. Listen to David in Psalm 27:4 “One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life.” The sons of Korah echo this in Psalm 84:10 “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” This should be one of our highest priorities.

   
   

4. We should never take freedom of worship for granted. Both Psalm 42 and 84 speak of love for the church while in exile. The psalmist was lamenting how he loved God’s house and longed to be in it, even for one day. There are sometimes weeks where we drag our feet as we walk into church but let us realize that even that great privilege can be taken away. We need to see it as the great blessing and privilege that it is.

   
   

5. It is a day of rest and refreshment, to be spiritually recharged for a new week. “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). We are invited to come, no matter our sin, no matter the storms around us. We can bring all our burdens to the LORD and He will sustain us (Ps. 55:22). God has set aside a whole day in order for us to worship Him and to spend time in the Word, prayer, and fellowship.

   
   

6. Honouring the Sabbath points to the eternal rest to come. Hear the plea of the author of Hebrews in chapter 4, especially verses 4-6. There is eternal joy and rest with God for those who respond to the gospel in faith. How important it is to be in church but also to pray for the indwelling of the Spirit to give us tender hearts to respond in faith, rather than unbelief.

   
   

7. It shows us the need to put off the old man and put on the new man. Ephesians 4:17-24 talks about this in particular. And notice what it says in vs 18 “having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God.” Those who walk according to the flesh are far from God and His dwelling place. Psalter 25 (Psalm 15) is very convicting. “Lord, who shall come to Thee?” We realize that we cannot stand before God on our own merit, but we can through the blood of Christ (Lord’s Day 21 Q+A 56).

Next time we have the privilege of going to church, let our hearts echo Psalm 122:1 “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD’” and let us also take heed that we enter the eternal rest that awaits all those who are found in Christ.