DRAWING NEAR TO GOD

 DRAWING NEAR TO GOD

Ps. 84:10 A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. NLT

What kind of desire do you have when you gather with God’s children in worship? Is church just another thing on the agenda for you to do? Do you approach it as more of a duty or a desire of your heart? I suspect that for most of us, we don’t get too excited about going to church. We go because that is what we know we need to do or because it is expected of us. We go because we don’t want to get out of the discipline of going, knowing that then we would soon slip away from God. We go because we don’t want to be a bad example for others and give them an excuse for not going. We go to church for a wide variety of reasons, but when was the last time you went because your soul longed to go knowing that you would be in the presence of God when you went?

When was the last time you knew the Lord would be in His house when you went? The Psalmist was caught up with being in the Tabernacle courts because he knew that God was in His house. God chose to dwell amongst His people in the Tabernacle. He had instructed the people on how to construct the Tabernacle and everything associated with it and how to approach Him in worship. God presented himself as holy to His people and provided very strict means on how to approach Him. Only those who were purified could enter into the Tabernacle itself and serve as priests on behalf of the people before God.

I wonder if we were to take greater pains to present God as holy to each other if we too, would have a greater desire to be in the house of the Lord. Perhaps if we were to consider God to be holy, we would have a greater desire and power to resist the urge to dabble in sin.

What will it take for you to have a longing in your heart to draw near to God in worship? And remember, worship can happen anywhere at any time, it is not confined to a house of worship. Do you live in a frame of mind of worship? Do you live longing to be in the presence of God wherever you are at doing what you do? May the Lord give us a heart of worship today and always.