“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4).
How do you enter your place of worship? Tired from the week? Already exhausted from the demands of the morning? Preoccupied with plans for the day? If most of us are truthful, we’d have to admit our entrance into God’s house is often a far cry from praise and thanksgiving. How can we ever pattern the Psalmist?
For me, this involves deliberately preparing my heart. I learned this discipline many years ago, when my husband pastored a small country church. With toddlers in tow and no nursery facility, opportunities to experience worship there were almost non-existent. So, I began getting up earlier on Sunday to prepare my heart—before children or cooking could consume my attention. In the quiet stillness of the morning, as I read the Word and thought on songs of praise, I experienced worship. And even if the rest of the morning proved anything but worshipful (and it usually did) I could relish in those moments. What a difference it made when I took a spirit of worship with me to church.
Resolve to bring a worshipful heart to church with you each week of this new year.
Sarah Fletcher
Illinois
PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for the youth camp in Jaboticabal, Brazil, and for camps and retreats during the first part of the year.
