Author: Ena du Plessis, South Africa
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,” says the well-known Psalm 100:4, “and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”
The gates and the courts mentioned here, most likely refer to the temple building. Seeing that there is no longer a physical temple structure, but we as believers have become the temple of the Holy Spirit – how is this concept of entering in relevant to us today? Even though the Holy Spirit dwells in our midst (1 Corinthians 3:16), we still need to make a conscious decision and effort to walk in the Spirit rather than the flesh – otherwise there would have been no need for the solemn exhortation in Galatians 5.
Lately the Lord has been showing me that gratitude and thanksgiving prepare us to consciously enter any situation under the guidance, direction, and protection of His Spirit. A while ago I heard one of my favourite teachers mention that there was a progression from thanksgiving to praise to worship: “We thank Him for His goodness; we praise Him for His greatness; and we worship Him for His holiness.”
So, we pave the way for experiencing His presence in worship, by thanking Him for His goodness. It can be a challenge to start, especially when we are overwhelmed by circumstances, emotions, and thoughts of negativity and hopelessness. All that is needed, though, is one thing. Thanking God for one thing that testifies of His goodness, is enough to create an atmosphere of gratitude and thanksgiving. I know an underprivileged lady who lives by the motto that if we are breathing, we have something to be thankful for. “Everything else,” this lady says, “is a bonus.”
The simple decision to thank God for the breath in our lungs can be powerful enough to propel us into a position of praise. And praise is where the power kicks in. Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, must have understood this. When enemy forces joined together against the people of Judah, Jehoshaphat sent singers ahead of his army. “And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed” (2 Chronicles 20:22).
Praise paves the way for worship – the sweetest state we can possibly enter on this side of Eternity. In the words of Psalm 95:6, “Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!”
And it all starts with gratitude and thanksgiving. Let us enter every gate – including the gate of this corporate fast – with thanksgiving. May we keep expressing our gratitude until we are propelled into a position of praise, and eventually fall to our knees in pure worship. This is where our fast becomes truly meaningful.
Author: Ena du Plessis lives in Johannesburg, South Africa with her husband, three children, and two cats. She loves the Lord, people, and animals. She enjoys running, reading, writing, camping, and spending time with family and friends.
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