“Oh sing to the LORD a new song: sing to the LORD, all the earth! Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!
Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.’
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.” Psalm 96
Usually each week I write the weekly thought on Tuesday and post it online on Wednesday. So, many times, people are reading this in the middle of their week. How do we prepare our hearts for worship on Wednesday? Or even on a Monday? Or a Saturday? We should not wait until Sunday morning to begin to prepare for public worship. That process should be a daily thing.
The Psalmist here tells us to tell of his salvation from day to day. Are we speaking of God’s salvation daily? Can people tell we love Christ by the words that come out of our mouth? I still remember some of the most stinging words I ever heard another person say to me. And it was said to me over 33 years ago. “I didn’t know you were a Christian.” It was a person I worked with and knew for most of a year and they couldn’t tell that I was a follower of Christ.
The gift of public worship is such a blessing. Let us do what we can do in the days that remain until Sunday to each day prepare our hearts for worship. Let us think of ways we can look not only forward to Sunday most of all in our week but to get ready to be in God’s presence with God’s people. A slice of heaven on earth.
Here are some ideas for how to prepare your hearts for worship each day: 1) Sing. 2) Read Scripture. 3) Pray. I am sure you pray about many things, but remember I reminded you on Sunday to pray for me as your Pastor. Pray for me as I prepare messages throughout the week. 4) Tell of God’s salvation to those who will listen. 5) Check in with other church members and see how they are doing this week. Especially those you have not seen in a while.
That was not meant to be an exhaustive list and I hope that it got your mind thinking of ways that you could prepare your heart for worship today. May God prepare us not only for worship but for His return.