July 9, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the next 15 days we will be reading through the Psalms of Ascent together as a church! The Psalms of Ascent are a collection of 15 psalms (Psalms 120-134) that pilgrims would sing on their way up to Jerusalem to worship. These songs are meant to instruct and prepare the hearts of the traveler to worship the Lord! As sojourners and aliens in this world, we too need to have our hearts prepared for and instructed in the worship of our God. Let\u2019s meditate on these psalms and allow the Spirit of the Lord to move us to true worship as we seek Him together!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This psalm is a song of penitence for sin and confidence in the sufficiency of God\u2019s mercy. The pilgrim disciples on their way to worship remind themselves with this song that the only right they have to enter God\u2019s presence at all lies in His mercy and grace towards them. We are no different than they in this regard!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This psalm represents the movement from brokenness and conviction over one\u2019s own sin to confession of that sin, and finally to confident hope in the Lord\u2019s promises of mercy towards His people. Because God is a God of forgiveness and grace, we can always run to Him and not away from Him when we have stumbled and fallen into sin!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The psalmist expresses an eagerness to worship the Lord and receive His mercy that surpasses the longing a watchman who had been standing at his post all night would have for the morning to come (v.6). This eagerness to be in the presence of God and to worship Him among His people should characterize every believer because, when we do, it shifts from an individual focus to a corporate one, in which we are all encouraging one another to trust in the Lord and in His mercy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God has visited His mercy on His people and redeemed them from all their iniquities (v.8) once and for all in the person and work of Jesus Christ. When we fail, let us run to Him and receive mercy, and let us ever be encouraging one another to do the same with confident hope!<\/p>\n\n\n\n