“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:4,5
There are so many reasons to come into your gates with thanksgiving and praise, Lord God. We were rebellious, hateful, destructive, condemned criminals, worthy of worse than crucifixion. But, in spite of this, we were sought out by you, bought at a great price, cleansed of our guilt, transformed from our sinfulness and adopted into your great family. We stand now as your dearly loved children, highly favored, delighted in, rejoiced in.
You, in your greatness, your immense, immeasurable love, your superb self-control, your forever faithfulness to your character and Word, your endless working in time, your limitless love, have poured out grace on this rebellious, foretaste-of-hell planet to make your enemies into your sons and daughters, to make us heirs of your unimaginably great riches.
We praise you that we can come into your courts with praise, that we, who deserve banishment, have been given unlimited access to walk right in and speak directly with you. You have made it possible for us to come and worship at your footstool without any formality, further sacrifice or ceremony. You are the God of accessibility; you are the God of availability; you are the Lord of accumulated grace, always giving, always good, always gracious, your gates always wide open.
But in spite of your great grace towards us, Lord, we get tired of the battle, we waver, we are inconsistent and unfaithful. In stark contrast, you are entirely different, for your faithfulness continues through all generations. From eternity, Lord God, you have remained unchanged, faithful to your character, to your Word and to your purposes. You never tire, you never waver, you never are inconsistent or unfaithful.
You are worthy of love and obedience, of exaltation and worship, of praise and honor, for in your goodness, your greatness, your grace and your glory you are beyond human conception, beyond understanding and logic, beyond imagination.
Prayer: “May I bring honor to you today, Lord, in my motives, attitudes, words and actions. Help me to set my heart and my mind on things above. Guide me in thinking and living as a child of the King so those around me may be blessed in the reflected glow of your greatness. Amen.”
Picture: from a friend’s email
