Worshiping on Mount Zion

When we come to worship, we are in a sense coming (as the author of Hebrews puts it) to the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22). What an immense privilege we have every week as children of God! This morning, Psalm 48 calls us to worship with a description of the “city of our God,” “Mount Zion,” “His holy mountain,” a fortress with towers, ramparts, and citadels. We respond with awe and reverence, singing O Worship The King (a loose paraphrase of Psalm 104) and The Mighty God The Lord—Psalm 50, which tell of His might and power, the thunderclouds and “tempestuous storms” that surround Him and “Zion, His own hill.” O Lord, Of Hosts How Lovely—Psalm 84, Jerusalem My Happy Home, and We Will Feast In The House Of Zion, all speak of God’s house as our home, the goal of our journey in this life, and a place of feasting and restoration. By contrast, By Babylon’s Great Riverside—Psalm 137 warms us of the curse that falls on those who forget Zion and her peace. In light of this, we conclude the service with Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing, asking God to bind our wandering hearts to Him and seal them for His heavenly courts. —Henry C. Haffner