When was the last time you rejoiced in something? Has it been a month? Several months? A year?
The first verse of Psalm 122 begs: why in the world is “go[ing] to the house of the LORD” such a joyful thing? There is joy in the house of the LORD because there is peace in the house of the LORD. In the Hebrew text, those words—joy and peace—are highly related to each other. And this is not just merely a peace that comes from an absence of conflict, but a peace where there is thriving and prosperity.
When was the last time you felt as if you were thriving? Has it been a month? Several months? A year?
A holistic peace cannot be found outside of the house of the LORD. On the surface, I think I can accept that in my sinful state. I don’t have much difficulty admitting that my life is better with God than without him. However, the “house of the LORD” is more than just God himself—it’s the church. The more and more you look at Scripture, the clearer it becomes: to be with Christ is to be with the church. Who is the bride of Christ? It’s not me as an individual; it’s the church. Who is a city on a hill? It’s not me as an individual; it’s the church. What is the means through which God displays his sovereignty and character to the fallen world? It’s not through me as an individual; it’s through the church.
Now please, don’t get me wrong, Jesus died for you as an individual. Jesus loves you deeply and completely and individually. Your personal relationship with Christ is of upmost importance. I don’t mean to belittle that at all. What I’m trying to flesh out is that when you look at the images in Scripture that are used to describe Christ’s love and relationship, it is not primarily individualistic, but corporate.
In my pride, I think I can do it all by myself. I think that I can just hide away with Jesus in a corner and never engage with my brothers and sisters and still live the holistically peaceful life that God has promised me, but Psalm 122 makes it clear that the author “rejoiced” when he was pursuing the Lord in company (“let us go”).
The reality is that we need each other. It is together that we must go to the house of the LORD together, not individually.
But in the midst of a global pandemic where we practice physical distancing and have a quasi-digital ministry strategy, how is this possible?
The answer surprised and challenged me.
The Psalm encourages us to be prayerful for each other (vs 6). We must pray that our other brothers and sisters will be vulnerable enough to engage in community, even when it’s inconvenient. We must pray that we have a renewed longing to engage with one another and go up to the house of the LORD together.
Will you pray for me in that way?