August 22, 2009

• I'm going to the house of the Lord tomorrow, how about you?

  I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the LORD!
  Psalm 122:1

  

  I know there are some (many?) of you out there who for various reasons are disenchanted with the local church. I confess I've had those same feelings. Some of you are less than glad to go to the house of the Lord. And there are some of you have checked out of church all together.

  The local church is God's invention, not man's. Actually, more accurately the Church is God's
  
  

  new creation
  by water and the Word.
  From heaven he came and sought her
  to be his holy bride;
  with his own blood he bought her,
  and for her life he died.
  (Samuel J. Stone)

  I am asking you to do something.

  If you've not already done so, please make plans to attend a worship service tomorrow.

  But before tomorrow comes, I'm asking you to do something else: pray.

  Pray for yourself. Pray for those who will minister to you.

  At the risk of sounding like I'm advocating a consumer mentality, I'm really not. I know Church isn't all about our being fed (for we are all ministers, we are all called to serve one another). Yet I do know there are many out there who haven't been fed in a local church in a long time.

  Many of us don't have any expectations when we enter worship. Why shouldn't we expect something? After all we're meeting with the God of the Universe, our Redeemer, along with the people of God. He is the God who sent His only begotten Son to save us from everlasting punishment, to breathe life into our dead souls, to deliver us from darkness into His marvelous light. Have we forgotten what a mighty God He is? Should we not expect that His hand that reached down and pulled us out of the miry clay cannot once more reach down and bring us heavenly food for our hungry souls? Should we not expect that our God will not freely give us all things we need? My brothers and sisters in the Lord, our God is our Father after all. He is the Giver of every good gift and He wants to give His children good gifts.

  I am challenging you to go to the house of the Lord tomorrow, and to go with an open mouth and a prayer and an expectation that Your heavenly Father will indeed fill your mouth with good things.

  I am the LORD your God,
  who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
  Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
  Psalm 81:10

  The LORD upholds all who are falling
  and raises up all who are bowed down.
  15 The eyes of all look to you,
  and you give them their food in due season.
  16 You open your hand;
  you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
  17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
  and kind in all his works.
  18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
  to all who call on him in truth.
  19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
  he also hears their cry and saves them.
  20 The LORD preserves all who love him,
  but all the wicked he will destroy.
  21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
  and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
  Psalm 145:14-21

  Can we not trust our God to bring water from the Rock for His thirsty children? Can we not trust that our God will rain down manna from heaven for His hungry children? Let's not test Him like the Israelites did. Let us never be guilty of asking, "Is the Lord among us or not?" Let's trust Him instead. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Will He not have mercy on us and provide a table for us even in the wilderness? Is His hand shortened that He cannot do this for us? Did He not send bread and meat to Elijah in the morning and evening by the ravens? Does not His goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives? Let us never forget that our God is a God of compassion. He is unwilling to send us away hungry and thirsty. But we need to come to Him with open hearts and mouths ready to receive what He gives us without grumbling or disputing. He knows what we need. Let's not limit the Holy One of Israel. Let us not despise His good gifts to us but be ready to receive from Him with a grateful heart and a song of praise. May He give us His grace to eat the food and drink the drink He deems to give us with wholehearted praise and thanksgiving, rather than grumbling and murmuring.

  Please go to His house tomorrow, and taste and see that He is good. Then please come back here and give testimony of His faithfulness to you!

  But this I call to mind,
  and therefore I have hope:
  22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
  his mercies never come to an end;
  23 they are new every morning;
  great is your faithfulness.
  24 The LORD is my portion, says my soul,
  therefore I will hope in him.
  25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
  to the soul who seeks him.
  26 It is good that one should wait quietly
  for the salvation of the LORD.
  Lamentations 3:21-26

  • 9:57 PM
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