One of the first group of verses I memorized as a young girl was Psalm 100.
“Earth, sing to the Lord!
2 Be happy as you serve the Lord!
Come before him with happy songs!
3 Know that the Lord is God.
He made us, and we belong to him.
We are his people, the sheep he takes care of.
4 Come through the gates to his Temple giving thanks to him.
Enter his courtyards with songs of praise.
Honor him and bless his name.
5 The Lord is good!
There is no end to his faithful love.
We can trust him forever and ever! ERV
That’s exactly what I’m doing this morning – being happy and grateful to be in the Father’s courtyard.
When Dave and I did the landscaping at our home in southern Arizona we designed a front courtyard. It was my place to sit and pray; a place to always be thankful for the many blessings the Lord has given us. I miss the courtyard but the praise I always have in my heart.
Another memory I have of my childhood is a song I used to sing, In the Garden:
“I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses
And he walks with me
And he talks with me
And he tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known
He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing…”
There is a relationship that we can share with the Lord that is incomparable to any other. In the joy and in the sorrow, in the struggle and in the rest, we are invited to come into his courtyard, into the pasture of green grass and cool water, into His presence where there is fullness of joy.
“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11 NKJV
There’s a progression here. In Psalm 100 we are told to come through His gates and into His courtyard. Praise and thanksgiving are the ticket to enter. The writer of Hebrews tells us we can come boldly into His throne room.
“So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved grace, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:16 CEV
Our heavenly Father is generous and welcoming. He wants to come bravely, He extends His grace and provides us with the help we need.
There’s an intimacy in our relationship with Him. When we come into His courtyard, He meets us there.