I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” (Psalm 122:1, NIV)
It’s a great day when a friend calls and says, “Let’s go play.” Maybe they mean a late summer day’s nine holes or something more, like a weekend away at a golf resort. Whatever the plan, the invitation is one producing joy in your golfer’s heart.
I wonder if it is the same when a friend calls and says, “Come on, let’s go to church!”
For too many people, the idea of church comes with baggage. Maybe this was a place of true hurt—or just extreme boredom—when you were growing up. Maybe it is a place of conflict now between you and your spouse or you and your children. It’s just easier not to go.
Pray for peace where you would attend worship. Peace among the elders. Peace among the people.But in both the Old Testament and the New, we find that God’s people were meant to be together. Regularly. Intentionally. In rest. In fellowship. And in honor to God.
If this is true, then we should hope to find pleasure in the going. We should somehow be able to take up the song of Psalm 122 and sing it authentically: “I rejoiced when you said, ‘Let’s go meet with the people of God! Let’s go worship the Lord together! Let’s go to church!’”
Before we can get there, however, we may need to take up the more famous line from this psalm: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”
You see, when a psalmist or a pilgrim spoke of going to the house of the LORD, they were on their way to the temple in Jerusalem. Solomon had built this amazing house of worship, and three times a year nearly every man in Jerusalem made the trek. The temple was rebuilt after the exile to Babylon and these same pilgrimages were made in Jesus’ time.
During these festivals, Jerusalem was packed. The Jewish people came together in lively fellowship, enjoying and encouraging one another in their celebration of what God had done for them.
But this could only happen if there was peace in Jerusalem. Only after this psalm was written did the people come to understand the full importance of this peace. During the period between temples, there would be no peace. Such gatherings were not possible. In a way, the same is true in Jerusalem today. The celebrations are tempered by the conflict that surrounds and pervades the city.
This is quite possibly true in many local churches you would consider as well. Before there is joy in fellowship, there must be peace for and among God’s people. There must be freedom to worship and a commitment to peace among the congregation.
Pray for peace where you would attend worship. Peace among the elders. Peace among the people. Then go expecting joy in the fellowship you have with others. And may your joy be so great that you eagerly say to others, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
—
Jeff Hopper
July 4, 2018
Copyright 2018 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
OTHER DEVOTIONS IN THIS SERIES
Ascending: Common Complaints (Psalm 120)
Ascending: In God’s Care (Psalm 121)
Ascending: The Mercy We Need (Psalm 123)
Ascending: How Great An Escape (Psalm 124)
Ascending: Stark Lines (Psalm 125)
Ascending: Sorrow and Joy (Psalm 126)
Ascending: Work and Home (Psalm 127)
Ascending: ‘Blessed’ (Psalm 128)
Ascending: Set Free (Psalm 129)
Ascending: Finding Forgiveness (Psalm 130)
Ascending: Our Waiting, Impatient Soul (Psalm 131)
Ascending: Despite Our Sin (Psalm 132)
Ascending: Together in Christ (Psalm 133)
Ascending: Earth to Heaven, Heaven to Earth (Psalm 134)