As I sip a cup of Door County Vanilla Crème Brulee' Coffee and peer out of the window I see a glorious array of sunshine and critter activity in our back yard. I am glad to be here.
I have been fighting off an illness for two weeks now and today is the first day that I feel like I am moving forward in the conquest. In order to win this fight Rene and I decided to clip my wings and have me sleep through the weekend. This included me staying home from our Saturday evening church service . 90% of the time I fill the pulpit and I was blessed to have a good friend in town who is a very good preacher. He offered to fill in for me and I knew God had sent him for a "rest assist".
But here is what I found out as I rested last night. My Saturday night just wasn't the same. I missed going to church. What I thought was at times a sense of obligation to our faithful Saturday attendees was more than that. I pulled out my Bible while sitting on the couch and that experience in itself was very good, but something was missing. God and I met through His Word and that is always priceless. But I missed being with fellow believers who are all like family to me. I turned to Psalm 84 and it summed up my feelings.
Psalm 84New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 84
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Lord Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
9 Look on our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
listen to me, God of Jacob.
9 Look on our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
12 Lord Almighty,
blessed is the one who trusts in you.
blessed is the one who trusts in you.
In verse one I identify with the psalmist that whether it is a tent gathering or in our beautiful sanctuary where we meet the place where we gather and God is there is beautiful. The psalmist does not elaborate on the actual where and how it is adorned but declares it's beauty because of the glory of the Lord. This is indescribable. I feel the same way. And those who gather with me add to the loveliness. We see the psalmist crying out, not with joy but because he is not there at this moment. He is crying like a hungry baby screams for food. I felt the same way last night. I longed to be there. Rene came home from church and said it was a blessing to be there. (verse 4) She told me that people there prayed for me and how nice it was to be united under God with them.
To sum it up for all of us. The psalmist prefers being in church with friends and family, worshipping God together, living the life of prayer and considers it better than anything else the world has to offer. I agree totally. The psalm projects my feelings from last night perfectly. How about you my friend? How many things keep us away from church attendance? Pod casts and television church is not like being there. How lame are your excuses? Does missing church cause you to anguish, and almost faint with the yearning to be there? If it doesn't I would ask you to examine your heart. Are you a believer of convenience or one so in love with the Lord that missing time with His family causes you pain? Through common sense it was a good idea for me not to spread this illness to others. But the misery I felt last night was not from the illness, it was the misery of not being in God's house.
Get to church regularly and be part of others lives. Worship alone during the week and then gather to proclaim the glory of God together.
God bless,
Marty
mmmm
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