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We need to worship God with others.
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I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
2 Our feet have been standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together,
4 to which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for[a] Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5 There thrones for judgment were set,
the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!”
8 For my brothers and companions’ sake
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.
Upon careful reading of this psalm, you’ll notice a communal theme. The psalm begins with a chorus of companions announcing, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” They gather as tribes and go up together (Psalm 122:4). Collectively, their feet stand within the gates of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:2). As brothers and companions, they worship together seeking goodness and peace (Psalm 122:8-9). Psalm 122 is filled to the brim with the idea of worshiping as a community.
Unfortunately, individualism has shaped our Christian culture. We tend to emphasize individual journeys and praise personal moments of worship rather than celebrating communal aspects. Consequently, we can easily turn inward to work on our private relationship with God separate from our brothers and sisters around us. But, as this psalm implies, we need to worship God with others.
Brothers and sisters in Christ are companions on the pilgrimage and we need them. As we rub shoulders with them, we encourage them to go to worship and vise versa. It’s no surprise we have the saying, “choose your friends wisely.” We all know the people we choose to surround ourselves with influence us. They shape us. When these people love Jesus and remind us to move toward him, their love and passion sharpens us. Think about one person in your life who often encourages you to worship. Praise God for that person today and encourage them by sharing your realization.[/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_column_text]
By Yvonne Biel
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