The House Of God

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 48
Focus: Psalm 48:9

Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.

There was something pretty special to the psalmist about the city of Jerusalem and the tabernacle that housed the earthly manifestation of presence of the Lord. If you read the rest of Scripture, you’ll find that God thought it pretty special, too.

Of course, the New Testament teaches us that under the new covenant, the Holy Spirit dwells in believers individually (I Corinthians 6:19) and collectively (I Corinthians 3:16-17), and we now are God’s temple, his dwelling place on the earth. Yet there is still something special about the place where believers come together to collectively lift their voices in praise, pour out their hearts in prayer, share their love in fellowship, serve one another in kindness, receive God’s anointed Word in gratitude, and convincingly call the lost to salvation.

Yes, we are the church—let’s not forget or get confused about that. But neither let us forget that the place we gather is also the church, and by virtue of our collective presence, along with the active presence of the Holy Spirit, the building becomes sanctified as well. It, too, is God’s temple.

All that to say that the church is a wonderful place to come and meditate on God’s unfailing love, just as the psalmist described. I would encourage you to add a new dimension to your regular routine of worship (if worship can ever, or should ever, be routine). Not only should you actively fellowship with God’s saints in the church (Hebrews 10:24-25), but slip into your church’s prayer room or sanctuary often for a time of simple solitude and quiet meditation. It can be with other people present, or just go in when you are alone and give it a try. Just sit and soak in the presence of God, and quietly reflect on who he is and what he has done.

Maybe like David, you’ll end up singing, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘let us go to the house of the Lord.'” (Psalm 122:1)

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“In the rush and noise of life, as you have intervals, step home within yourselves and be still. Wait upon God, and feel His good presence; this will carry you evenly through your day’s business.” (William Penn)

 

Making Life Work: Go often to the physical place where the spiritual community to which you belong gathers for worship, and see if you don’t grow in your appreciation for the house of God, and more importantly, for the unfailing love of the Lord of the church.

Psalm 48: The House Of God

Read Psalm 48:1-14

The House Of God

Within your temple, O God,
we meditate on your unfailing love.
(Psalm 48:9)

There was something pretty special to the psalmist about the city of Jerusalem and the tabernacle that housed the earthly manifestation of presence of the Lord. If you read the rest of Scripture, you’ll find that God thought it pretty special, too.

Of course, the New Testament teaches us that under the new covenant, the Holy Spirit dwells in believers individually (I Corinthians 6:19) and collectively (I Corinthians 3:16-17), and we now are God’s temple, his dwelling place on the earth. Yet there is still something special about the place where believers come together to collectively lift their voices in praise, pour out their hearts in prayer, share their love in fellowship, serve one another in kindness, teach God’s anointed Word, and convincingly call the lost to salvation.

Yes, we are the church—let’s not forget or get confused about that. But neither let us forget that the place we gather is also the church, and by virtue of our collective presence, along with the active presence of the Holy Spirit, the building becomes sanctified as well. It, too, is God’s temple.

All that to say that the church is a wonderful place to come and meditate on God’s unfailing love, just as the psalmist described. I would encourage you to add a new dimension to your regular routine of worship (if worship can ever, or should ever, be routine). Not only should you actively fellowship with God’s saints in the church (Hebrews 10:24-25), but slip into your church’s prayer room or sanctuary often for a time of simple solitude and quiet meditation. It can be with other people present, or just go in when you are alone and give it try it. Just sit and soak in the presence of God, and quietly reflect on who he is and what he has done.

Do it often, and see if you don’t grow in your appreciation for the house of God, and more importantly, for the unfailing love of the Lord of the church.

“In the rush and noise of life, as you have intervals, step home within yourselves and be still. Wait upon God, and feel His good presence; this will carry you evenly through your day’s business.”
—William Penn