“God’s
Regard for Public Worship”
“The Lord loveth the gates of
As we approach the celebration of the founding of our
nation this “Fourth of July,” there are parades, fireworks, barbecue parties
and all sorts of other activities to honor and commemorate our country’s
birthday. And certainly this time of the year should bring happy thoughts and
rejoicing for the blessings of freedom and liberty that we experience as
Americans. Have you ever thought about how God views the gathering of His
people in celebration at Church? A
gathering of legislators who meet to enact good and useful laws for their
nation is interesting and commendable. An assembly of philosophers meeting to
elucidate the operations of nature or the discoveries of science is also
interesting. A group of philanthropists who are gathered to contemplate the
most effective way to extirpate human misery and promote human happiness is
still more interesting and even exciting, especially if one feels they may
benefit from those proceedings. But the most interesting assembly on which any
human eye can fall, or with which man or woman can associate, is that of a
public congregation met to praise and worship God, and to engage in the hallowed
pursuits which are directly connected to eternity.
God certainly loves the
dwellings of Jacob. As the text in Psalms states, our God appreciates and cares
for all the righteous believers in their personal and domestic capacities. He
loves them as His people, as His Church, as individual believers. Each of us
who have relationship with Jesus Christ through faith are
beloved sons and daughters of God! He walks with us, talks with us, keeps His
promises to us; we are dear to Him, engraven on His
hands, the apple of His eye.
God loves His children when
they are involved in private devotional activities. He listens when we pray in
our closets and rewards us openly. He is pleased when we read the Word, study,
sing His praises, and witness to our friends and neighbors. He is happy when He
sees our families gathered in our homes for devotions or prayer.
But our text implies that
God ‘loveth the gates of
Pastor Bob