The Weekly Perspective
by Burke Shade, Assistant Pastor
People often downplay the importance of worship in our day, as if going into God’s presence is not all that important. Admittedly, while sitting with the saints around you, the visual impression of “heaven” on Sunday morning is not all that different during the service than just before the announcements. Everybody looks the same! There’s no “aura” of angels or rushing waters or thunder or lightning flashing around the sanctuary, or the all-purpose worship center that you are meeting in. So is what we are doing, sitting in our pews, all that important? Or life changing? Or world changing? Yes, it is.
And being in heaven not only gives us a right perspective on the world, but it so happens that being there means we are in the right position to change the world.
How do you know that? Because Psalm 11 tells you so!
The opening verses make it clear that David is in doubt about God’s salvation and love, and that he’s on the run from the wicked. It’s so bad he thinks the “foundations are destroyed” (vs 3). What can the righteous do, he asks.
Well, they can come into the sanctuary of God, his holy temple, and get their eyesight corrected. In the sanctuary David sees God on his throne, and he understands God’s eyes see the children of men, and that he tests them, and that He hates the wicked and the ones who love violence (vs 4-5). In fact, David is so emboldened by his heavenly vision, he asks the Lord to “rain coals on the wicked,” and give them fire and sulfur and scorching wind in their cup! He also learns that the upright shall behold His face.
Entering into the heavenly throne room on Sunday morning never sounded so good!