Give a Shout Out to Your Church!
By Machelle McDowell
Psalm 84:10-12 “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”
“How lovely is your dwelling place, Oh Lord?” This is a question we should ask ourselves. Psalm 84 is a chapter about men who loved their church. Why did they love their church?… Because, their motives were in check.
These men got it right! They did not show up at the house of God for a program or to hear a good speaker, or even great worship music, (these are all good things if used to bring glory to God), but they showed up to meet with God.
Sometimes, I think we just need a gentle reminder of why we go to the house of the Lord. These men “desired” to be in the house of the Lord. They longed to be in God’s presence.
When was the last time you got ready to go to church and was so excited to go meet with the Lord? (Be honest), the truth is, we lack passion for worship because we have forgotten who the author of that worship is.
Our time in God’s house has become “attendance” based. We attend to check off the block, we attend to show face, we attend to socialize, but seldom do we attend for the sole purpose of being fully present for God. Harsh words? Maybe, but there is so much truth in them, if we are honest.
When I think of a doorkeeper in the house of my God mentioned in verse 10, I cannot help but think of a Godly gentleman in our church who greets us every week consistently with a smile and a handshake. The joy that comes from his presence is contagious and more than welcoming. He never waivers. He is the same every week. He is a firm believer that every day in His courts are better than a thousand elsewhere. “How lovely is your dwelling place, Oh Lord?”
Have we forgotten that our God is a sun and shield that verse 11 speaks of? A light that leads us through a dark world and a shield that protects us along the way and that God bestows favor and honor: no good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Friends, we are blessed when we go to the house of the Lord for the purpose of meeting with God. “Blessed is the one who trusts in you!”
I recently spent time on a Native American reservation where there were a small cell of Christian believers who meet “wherever” for Bible study. Why? Because they have no church building. They have no pastor to lead them. But, here is what they do have that a lot of us don’t. They have the desire that is mentioned in Psalm 84 to meet with their God, Jesus Christ.
Corporate worship in a building filled with committed people who would rather be at church than anywhere else is a gift. “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.”
Here is a spoiler alert. The church is its people. Whether you meet under a tree or in a 5 million dollar building, the question remains, “How lovely is your dwelling place, Oh Lord?” Are you there to meet with God?
Who are you dwelling with? “Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!”
Let’s love our churches because of the God that meets us there! When we begin to think differently about why we go to church, I think we will begin to see our faith revived and our joy increase!
We will become a doorkeeper in the house of our God who invites the holy spirit to our worship services instead of hindering its presence by showing up in the wrong frame of mind and heart.
My soul longs for the Courts of the Lord!
Psalm 84:1-2
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.