Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 84-86 GNT

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Thoughts

I read Psalm 84 with different eyes, beloved. How about you? Verses 1 and 2 jumped of the page like never before:

1How I love your Temple, Lord Almighty!

2How I want to be there!
I long to be in the Lord’s Temple.
With my whole being I sing for joy
to the living God.

Psalms 84:1-2 GNT

Current Restrictions on Worshipping Together

Do these verses have a different meaning for you after the corona virus lockdowns? They certainly do for me. I live in California, and our…illustrious tyrant, er, I mean governor, still has us in lockdown. In most of the state, churches still cannot conduct indoor services, and outdoor services must maintain so-called social distancing and every person must wear masks. Maybe it’s different where you live. I certainly hope so. 

Regardless of your current situation, my guess is that most of us have a far different reaction to these verses than they did a year ago, and I’m sure that for many of us, we will never again take for granted the right to worship as we see fit. 

Yes, I said the *right* to worship as we see fit, not *privilege*.

Not What Our Founding Fathers Intended

Let me read for you a portion of the United States Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

Declaration of Independence

Now, listen to this:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America

So just so there was no mistake, the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States makes very clear that the free exercise of religion *cannot* legally be stifled, *cannot* legally be stopped. What is happening to our churches is unconstitutional and unlawful.

What To Do

So now what? What are we to do? Well beloved, the complete answer to that question is far beyond the scope of this podcast. I have my ideas, but this podcast is about the reading of God’s Word. It’s not a civics podcast or a legal podcast or a political podcast. 

I’ll say just one more thing, though. In the Declaration of Independence, just after the part I read to you a moment ago, about our rights being endowed by our Creator, our founding fathers wrote this:

That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

Declaration of Independence

So the founders knew that even good governments can come off the rails. And they said that if that happens, the people have a right to make the necessary changes to fix it, and if that fails, to throw the bums out and start over. 

After nearly 250 years, maybe the time is approaching that we take a closer look at that paragraph.

Maybe, and I only mean MAYBE, maybe God allowed the lockdowns of our churches so we would again yearn for and appreciate the right to worship as a body. I know I REALLY  would enjoy gathering in close fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ.