Key Verses: 1-2 and 11 "(1) As the deer pants for the waterbrooks, so my soul pants for You, Oh God. (2) My soul pants for God. For the living God. When will I come and appear before God? (11) Why are you cast down, oh my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I will yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God."
Spurgeon Insight: "Debarred from public worship, (he) was heartsick. He who loves the LORD loves also the assemblies wherein His name is adored...The saddest countenance will yet be made to shine, if there be a taking of God at His word and an expectation of His salvation."
This Psalm was written by the Sons of Korah. It describes the longing a worshiper of God feels when when they are hindered from experiencing the fulfillment found in worshiping God, and experiencing His presence with His people by geography, and circumstances. They are pictured as thirsting after God with intensity like that of a deer who has been wandering in the wilderness with no way to quench it's thirst for days on end.
It is interestring to me that the worshiper described here isn't merely upset because they haven't engaged in formal worship in a while. It is really the fact that they haven't been able to worship the LORD in the presence of His people that has them upset. It is a time of group worship before God that they want to experience again.
I heard once that a person's joy isn't complete until it is shared with another. That makes sense. When I buy new music for example, I might really love the music, but what really gets me fired up is when I get to show music I'm excited about to someone else who I think will like it as I do. As they start to get into it the music brings me even more happiness. I'm filled with joy so much more sharing it with someone else than I would've been had I kept my joy to myself.
Worshiping God in unity with other followers of Jesus should be the same kind of experience for me to a greater degree. It was for the Psalmist. I should be totally jazzed as I get to share my enjoyment of God with other followers of Jesus as we worship Him together. That unified enjoyment of God should cause me to value the gatherings of the people of Jesus more than anything else. By God's grace I will have that heart as the Sons of Korah did.
This Psalm closes with a promise of hope for the follower of Jesus who has been unable to experience the type of gathering described above because of geography or some other circumstances. He tells his own heart to, "Hope in God. I will yet praise Him; the hope of my countenance is God." Whether the Psalmist got to worship in an assembly of God's people on earth, or they had to wait until they got to heaven, they knew they would have a corporate worship experience again soon. The God of hope would grant that to them in the future one way or the other.
Do you value worshiping Jesus in the gathering of His people? If not I hope God will create a passion in us both for those experiences. They are forstastes of heaven as imperfect as they might be. Don't approach the assembly of God's people in a spirit of criticism, but in a spirit of celebration for the grace that it is.
Do you feel like you can't be in the assembly of the people of Jesus as often as you like? One way or another God will bring you into communion with Him in the midst of His people again. Remember, this isn't heaven yet! "Hope in God." Pray with me...
Father, I pray that you would help me value times of gathered worship with Your people even more. Help me understand how awesome it is to experience Your presence and sing Your praises with other followers of Jesus. I pray You would renew Your church with love for gathering together to focus on You, and meet You in a special way all across the world. Help us honor you with an intense desire for the gatherings of Your people. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Grace and Peace
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