Pray:
Lord, as I come to Your Word, I want to hear Your heart. I want to walk with You in the way of love.
Read:
Psalm 100:1-5
Reflect:
How does the Psalm encourage us to express worship?
What has been your most treasured experience of worship? Were you alone or with other people? Was it music, words, or silence that enabled your spirit to soar? How important was the place and the occasion? Is this something you can repeat at will, or may never access again?
We can't always praise and pray as we would like to, but this psalm offers many helpful insights. What do you notice about the psalmist's understanding of God (3,5), his sense of belonging (3), and his attitude to worship (1,2)? How important to him is a particular place (4) and style of praise (2)?
The Jews of Bible times focused their worship on a tabernacle or temple. Christians today have churches, chapels and meeting houses--but also a mandate to worship God anywhere and at any time. Our bodies are "temples of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 6:19), our lives are "built together" into a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5), and each of us can offer ourselves to God as a "living sacrifice" (Rom. 12:1,2).
Apply:
Worship God with expression as the psalmist encourages. Worship him in community and when alone.
Pray:
You are worthy of worship expressed in shouts of praise and whispers of love, as well as in lives that live it out.
