Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise, give thanks to Him and praise His name. – Psalm 100:4
When the people in bible times worshiped together, they went to the tabernacle, and later, to the temple. These were both surrounded by gates that served many purposes, including entry by the people. After entering through gates, they stood in the courts to worship the Lord. The people were separated into different courts depending on their status, or place in society. This verse encourages the people to give thanks as they entered through the gates, and to praise as they stood in the courts.
Our worship is no longer limited to a tabernacle, temple, or even a church. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we have direct access to Him and Father God, and can worship anytime and anyplace! But this verse still gives us much to consider.
When we enter your church sanctuary to worship, do we rush in after struggling to get ready in time and getting everyone in the car, already exhausted and distracted? Are we impacted more by who is in attendance and what songs are being sung, then by to Whom we are singing? Do we make time to for intentional personal worship each day, or do we mumble a few prayers as you drift off to sleep at night? All of these can certainly be a struggle for me!
As we move through this season of thanksgiving and we focus on giving thanks, let’s take a fresh look at worship and be more intentional about entering the Lord’s presence with thanks and praise!
