Fervent Prayer: Prayer for Mercy Hill Worship
"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 100
The Psalmist lays out an amazing framework for a believer’s approach to worship. Too often we participate in the practice of worship mindlessly, not understanding the great gift we have given. Psalms 100 challenges us with profound truths that should reignite our hearts and re-engage our spirits at every opportunity we have to worship.
The first truth is that we have been blessed with the presence of God. Verse 2 says; Come into his presence with singing! and then verse 4 says; Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Each of these statements acknowledges the great gift we have to dwell in the presence of God. Come into His presence, enter His courts! Too often we forget how the work of Christ on the cross not only made a way for our salvation it also made the way for us to enter into the holy of holies, the very dwelling place of God. When he died on the cross the veil of the temple, that seperated sinful man from their Holy God, was torn in two signifying how Christ’s work made the way for us to be in His presence. This is a profound truth that should never be taken for granted.
The second profound truth the Psalmist reveals is the greatness of God. Look how Psalm 100 emphasizes the incredible awesome power and nature of God. And not in the cosmic sense but as it relates to His interaction with us, in an intimate sense. He says; It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. He made us. We are His. We are His People. And if that doesn’t convey His intimate relationship with His people it says, we are His sheep and He is our shepherd. He cares for us, feeds us, protects us. We are His! The great creator who made us, made us His own! And if all this wasn’t enough the Psalmist puts an exclamation on it by declaring: the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Each of these truths is meant to lead us to respond in gratitude to God. The truth of the gift of entering His presence, the truth of His intimate greatness towards us should lead us to worship. The Psalm instructs us to; Make a joyful noise to the Lord, it implores us to; Serve the Lord with gladness, it tells us to; Know that the Lord, he is God! Why? Because, It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. It says, Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! Why? Because, the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
The call of the believer to worship is in response to His greatness toward us and our ability to enter into the presence of that greatness. Whenever we gather to worship it serves us well to focus on the depths of His goodness, on the enormity of His kindness, on the intimacy of His graciousness because it will animate our worship.
Dear Holy Spirit, bring to our minds in the moments of worship the greatness of God’s goodness toward us. Help us to never take for granted the price that was paid so that we might enjoy the presence of God. Spirit of God, anoint those who lead us in worship and visit upon the power and beauty that only you can deliver to God’s people.