Worship: Public

Glad

Time for church. The hour of worship. Time to gather. Time to praise. Time to listen to the everlasting falling like rain on this dry moment. Darkness flees away, running from the relentless, inevitable Light.

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

He is with me always, but I need to be with Him in His house, with His family. I need to know He is walking among us, walking among the candlesticks. I need the coolness of His shadow passing over my pain. My ears need the sound of the saints in praise. My heart needs the strength of His sanctuary if it is ever to beat again. My mind needs the respite of the divine repetition of the covenant which He will not break even when I have, if I am ever to think clearly again.

I need Shekinah—that mystery of His Presence manifested for all to see—a comforting cloud in the day and a glowing, fiery promise through the night. Shekinah led the people through the wilderness toward their Promised Land. My wilderness consumes me. My river is far to the horizon and my Land of Promise lies beyond that Jordan. Yet here in the waiting, the Lord has a Day He calls His. He has a house where He has chosen to dwell. He has given me these things in this wilderness, in my desperation, in my pain, in my weakness to give me hope: a glimpse of the glory to come; a promise of provision to come; a healing touch now; and a new strength to my bones today.

I was glad when thy said to me, “Let us go to the House of the Lord.”

Scripture:
Psalm 122
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built as a city that is at unity with itself; to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, the assembly of Israel, to praise the Name of the Lord. For there are the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls and quietness within your towers. For my brethren and companions’ sake, I pray for your prosperity. Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek to do you good.”

Song:
Reach Out and Touch the Lord
Traditional

Reach out and touch the Lord as He goes by.
You’ll find He’s not too busy to answer your cry.
He’s passing by this moment, your needs to supply.
Reach out and touch the Lord as He goes by.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2016 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved