Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Imagine standing in a field or on the top of a mountain, spreading your arms wide as if to fly, the breeze moving over you. The warmth of the sun on your face as you lift it toward the heavens. Imagine taking in the vastness and the beauty of that one moment and then allowing it to grow larger. Now imagine, taking this feeling and carrying it with you. You pull out this memory every time you start to feel depressed or lonely.
This is a small comparison of what it is liked to be wrapped up in the heart of worship. The tremendous grace and blessing we receive when we go before the throne and we share our love and passion, our desire to draw close to the throne of grace.
I remember learning about God’s love and grace. What I was moved by is that there is order in how we should approach Him. We enter into His gates with thanksgiving. We express our reasons for being thankful. Admittedly, during the dark times in our lives, it is much harder to find reasons to be thankful. It is much more difficult to see the blessing when we feel as if we have been cursed. The closer it is to have some excruciating pain cover our lives; whether it is the loss of a loved one, the loss of self, the loss of the ability to use our body – and we feel as if it is working against us. No matter what the pain is the more difficult it is to find a reason for thanks, especially when it has just happened. We shut down. We want to shut down. We want to shout out to God about how cruel and unfair it is.
As time goes by, we rely on our faith and our belief, we remember that we aren’t given more than we can handle. I will admit, I have challenged that in my own life. What I feel I can handle and what God feels I can handle are definitely two different things. Yet, even in these challenges, I have learned to move forward. Once you can get to a place of thankfulness, it allows you to increase your joy.
Which brings us to the next step; entering His courts with praise. Praising Him for the things in our lives. Again, it is easy to focus on the good things. Pleasant things. The positive things. It is easy to compliment others when we aren’t feeling angry and oppressed. When we aren’t mad at the world for all the negative that is going on and happening. Yet, when we can learn to turn these things into a reason to sing His praises, how much sooner we are able to feel His presence in our lives once again.
I am guilty of not always giving thanks and praise when times are tough. It is definitely not always the first thing that comes to mind. The struggle of the flesh against the spirit is real. It is nothing to be ashamed of. It doesn’t mean you are less or weaker than someone who has learned to give thanks and praise in all things.
It is a worthy goal to strive to a place of existing; like our perceptions of Mother Theresa. As well as other people who loved peace, who loved their people, who moved toward those goals of helping and building. These are individuals who served and yet I am certain that they struggled in their own private lives at times. Yet, they kept it between them and God and openly gave thanks and praise.
We are all called on different journeys. We all serve in different ways. However, no matter what you are called to do or how you are called to serve, you will find strength in praise and worship, in giving thanks and praise in all things. Opening the door to a closer relationship by developing a strong heart of worship.