The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

Psalm 50: 1

 

Song, prayer, joyous greeting, tears, dancing, raising of hands, reading God’s word, teaching its truths, and learning through the Spirit’s touch are all a part of a time that we call worship. God delights in the times that His children gather together and share with each other the expression of our relationship with Him. There is something very special and truly wondrous in the way that God’s voice is heard in the gathering of His people. There is also something that is truly incomparable about the way that the Lord makes Himself known as He speaks.

 

God speaks to everyone; He provides the essential knowledge of who He is and of how He desires to meet the most fundamental and the most profound needs that we all have. Still, God speaks through people; He gives every one of His children understanding, knowledge, and wisdom to share, and the Lord directs us to interact with each other in ways that bring us closer together as people and that open up our hearts and our minds to the needs and to the possibilities that exist in our communities.

 

Whether the gathering is with one or with many hundreds, God delights in it. He is present in a time of silent prayer and meditation and in a room filled with raucous shouting of praises to our Lord. His joy can fill the room. Although God enjoys the artistic expression of our love for Him, He doesn’t actually care if the floor of our worship hall is made of mud and the walls are falling down or non-existent. All of the beauty and the splendor that are required by the presence of a king are provided by the King, Himself. Every bit of decoration that God wants to see in our worship halls is found in the hearts of His people. God is not impressed with the things that we build, for His joy is with us. So, come and gather, leave isolation and individualism behind, join together in praise and worship of the Savior of your soul and the protector of your heart. Strength, comfort, and family are found in the gathering of God’s people.