Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
Psalm 100:4 NIV
Bless His Name
In French Canada, up until the late 1960s, children of Roman Catholic religion often were given three names at birth (usually not hyphenated): the first, Marie or Joseph, were honorific in nature to honor the mother and foster father of Jesus. The second was usually the name of the godfather or godmother, while the third and last given name was the name used in everyday situations. A real-life example of this naming convention was that of Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien, who was born Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien.
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It is a rare opportunity to enter into the presence of the king today. From time to time, we see photos of prime ministers and other world leaders who are given the privilege of entering into King Charles’ office. I certainly never have, and I don’t believe I know anyone who has. It was even rarer in ancient days – in the book of Esther, even the queen took a chance in entering into the throne room of her own husband. If he hadn’t pointed his scepter of recognition, it could have gone quite badly. What a contrast, then to what King David writes in Psalm 100:4: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” We get glimpses of God’s throne room in scripture. It is filled with angels and incense, majesty and glory. No sin is ever allowed there. So ordinarily, it would be quite frightening to enter his courts. But not for the follower of Jesus – He is our scepter of recognition. Through Jesus, we can enter any time into God’s courts, filled with praise for who He is and all he has done.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley