How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord of Armies. I long and yearn for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God. Even a sparrow finds a home, and a swallow, a nest for herself where she places her young—near your altars, Lord of Armies, my King and my God. How happy are those who reside in your house, who praise you continually. (84:1-4)
The COVID-19 crisis and the moratorium on churches meeting together, make these verses even more poignant than ever. The Psalmist longed to be in the very presence of God in the Temple. In those days, the nation of Israel associated the presence of God with the Temple. Of course, they knew that He was the God of the entire world and that He was omnipresent, but there was a special significant presence of God in the Temple; particularly in the Holy of Holies. The Psalmist associated the place of the Temple with the presence of God and he longed to be there to experience that special presence. In poetic language, he even states that the birds build their nests near the altar because they want to be closer to God.
Today we do not worship in the Temple but together with the local church body in various places. We know that churches are more about the people gathered than they are about the specific place or the brick and mortar. Yet the people of God gathered together for worship, and the word proclaimed in truth there, bring a special significance to our places of worship that are sometimes quite palpable. Like the Psalmist and the birds who built their nest near the altar, we too are longing to be back in our cherished places of worship. But what really tugs at our heart and makes us miss the place is not so much the building as it is the community of faith. That is what we really miss; we miss being together with the church body and worshipping together as one body. We yearn for our spiritual family.
I think that this will be the greatest benefit of this pandemic. I know that it has been hard on most and that some have even lost their lives. Yet, I pray that those who are true believers would come through this time more committed to their local church and more appreciative of what it means to worship together. May we never take that for granted again, and may we never approach worship with a begrudging sense of duty! Instead, may we sing at the top of our voice and pray with heartfelt fervor… may we cherish our fellow church members and appreciate anew the preaching of the word of God! When all is said and done, I hope that this time will separate those who are just “religious and going through the motions” from those who are genuine, and I pray that true renewal and revival would take place in every local church.
