Songs from the Heart Day 14

Meditate on the Psalms

Reread Psalms 122-123.

I love to travel, but there’s nothing quite like coming home. After long periods of time away, it’s so good to be among the familiar comforts of the things and the people you love. At home, you feel comfortable, safe and welcome. 

That’s a little how the Jewish pilgrims felt as they approached Jerusalem. Going to the temple to worship felt like coming home after a long journey. There, in the safety of God’s city they would worship as God’s people—protected, enjoying the familiarity of being among God’s people, joined together by a desire to worship God. Jerusalem symbolized their home with God and the joy of being among his people. 

Today is the second Sunday of Lent. As you meet with your local body of believers, does it feel a little like coming home? After a long week or hard season, worshiping with fellow Christians can feel like an oasis in the desert, refreshment after a long season of drought. Whether our worship looks like joy and exultation or tears and grief, honestly offering it before God and his people is a way to declare who we trust. God is not worthy of our worship because he does great things or answers our prayers in the ways we want. He is worthy of our worship because he is a good God. He is our protector, worthy of our thanks and trust. 

But as Psalm 123 attests, when we recognize who God is, we also recognize our position before him. In our daily lives, it can be easy for our worries, concerns and the struggles of each day to become our sole focus. Rather than lifting our eyes in worship, we keep them focused only on what seems most important in the moment. Rather than trusting that the God who is enthroned in heaven is in control of the situation, we find ourselves overwhelmed. Rather than trusting that the One who knows the number of our days can meet us in the mess, we sometimes start to think that we’re the only ones who make things better. 

But worship like that described in Psalm 122 has a way of reorienting our hearts. When we choose to worship and see God for who he really is—exalted, enthroned, merciful, powerful and faithful—we also realize who we really are before him. He is all-powerful and mighty, and we are not. He is in control when our lives feel wildly out of control. He is faithful when we are faithless (2 Tim 2:13). 

No matter what you’re walking through today, open your heart to true worship. Focus on mind and soul on God and his flawless character. Recognize that he is in control, and you are not. Be honest about how much you need him. Lift your eyes from your circumstances and focus on the One who is enthroned in heaven, worthy of worship, your protector, strength and shield.