It’s Always Party Time

So I was thinking about Psalms 100:4 the other day.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.

Pretty simple, right? Before we come to God, we should have an attitude of than an attitude of thankfulness, and praise Him. Can’t argue with that. Seems like a wonderful instruction for the psalmist to remind us.

But then I was thinking to myself, “What if there’s more to that verse? What if we all misunderstood it?” So I read the Message translation.

Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him.

Hmm. So maybe it’s not just how we are supposed to be when we enter His gates, but it’s actually the password, or key, that opens those gates for us.

Then I got to thinking a bit more. Is it possible that there’s more to it than even that? Could our thanksgiving and praise be more than the prerequisites of entering His presence, and could they be even more than just the key to open the gates?

So I turned to the New Scott Isaacs Version. ¹

You will immediately find yourself within His gates when you have an attitude of thanksgiving, and your praise toward Him will instantly transport you into His presence. Do this because He wants you to intentionally be with Him always.

Is it possible that our thanksgiving and our praise are more than the gift we bring our Host?  Could they be more than the ticket that gets us into the party with Him? Is it possible that our thanksgiving and praise are the very banquet room itself and that He is already there waiting for us?

He’s waiting for us in our praise.  He’s already there ahead of us, surrounded by the praises we have yet to give Him.  Giving that praise is how we find ourselves with Him.

I don’t know.  Maybe that’s not what Psalm 100:4 is saying.  Or maybe it is. Maybe I’m seeing something in the Word that isn’t there.  Or maybe it is there.

Either way, I really don’t think I’m going to disappoint Him by trying to prove this one out…