Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
One of the fundamental teachings and assumptions of the Bible is that people may enter into the presence of the Lord. Although we can no longer enter the gates and courts of the temple in Jerusalem, it is still possible to come before the Lord. Just as we can relate to creation and the world we live in, we can relate to the Lord God above us.
Our verse for today shows that God’s people can enter into His presence. In addition, our verse shares a particular way that we may come before Him. We may enter into His presence with thanksgiving and praise. Think about what this means. The Lord is of such value and importance, that it is socially appropriate to enter His presence with thanksgiving and praise.
We don’t enter into the presence of regular people with thanksgiving and praise. Even kings and queens do not merit such fanfare. In the rare instances where leaders have demanded such attention, they’ve been regarded as megalomaniacs by historians. In God’s case, on the contrary, it makes sense. Indeed, even if thanksgiving and praise are not a hard and fast requirement in the Bible, they are at the very least seen as being highly appropriate. From a biblical point of view, God is worthy of such treatment.
There are many reasons why the Lord God is worthy; but our verse for today singles out three of them. He is a good, loving, and faithful God. After all, think of what God could be if He wanted. He could use His sovereign power to be evil, hateful, and unfaithful, like the gods of the Greek pantheon were often portrayed to be. God, however, is not like that. And because He is not like that, it is appropriate to give Him His due.
Christians often come before the Lord taking His goodness, love, and faithfulness for granted. Maybe today would be a good day to change that; maybe today would be a good day to enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.
