Strengthen my Gates!

Psalm 147

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹²Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.
 ¹³For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.
 ¹⁴He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.
 ¹⁵He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

I think this is kind of an interesting verse. God wants to protect us from this world. He knows the evil that lurks outside our gates. Knowing that he wants to protect his own, then why does he count on our "Man-made Gates" to protect us. The verse says he strengthens the bars of our gates (to protect us.) He doesn't need our gates to protect us. He certainly has the power to thwart any attack. Yet, he still uses our gates.

God wants us to do everything we can to protect ourselves. We need to build the gates. He will take what we build and make it better. But, he wants us to build the gates. People who choose to do nothing because they depend on the Lord, are wrong.  God wants us to be active in our own lives. The Lord will take whatever we do and make it better. If we do everything to be the best teacher we can be, he will take that effort and make us better. If we guard our hearts from the dangers of porn, drugs, and alcohol, he will be faithful and give us the BETTER tools to do that. If we work hard to remain faithful to our spouses, he will reward that work with a stronger relationship. If we work hard at our jobs, he will bless us with the ability and opportunity to succeed. God never wants us to sit idly and wait for his action. He wants us to act and then he joins our action.

God will never abandon us. He will never give us more than we can handle. He knows the gates I build are good but not good enough. He knows in order to get the protection I need, he needs to intervene. God rewards us for our efforts to do his will. We are sinful people. The harder we fight sin, the more strength he gives us to win the battle. He takes what we do for his kingdom and magnifies it for his purpose. God is with us. He will strengthen our gates.

White Picket Fences

Psalm 100 (New International Version)

 ¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. ² Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. ³ Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his^[a]; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. ⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.


What ever happened to white picket fences?  I always wanted a house with a white picket fence. When you entered the yard through a white picket fence it was like stepping into the kingdom. The beauty and the quaintness of a picket fence made the trip through it a great honor. When you read this verse about entering his gates with thanksgiving. It doesn't have the same feel as in the past. Most of our GATES are in the backyard. It is more for privacy than for beauty. Our gates are too keep things out more than an invitation to enter our Kingdom. We don't have Gates as the primary entrance to the yard anymore. Entering Gods presence is amazing. To get to come into his personal dwelling place and into his courts is a privilege we don't deserve. But when we do, we better be ready to give an abundance of thanks and praise.

God invites us into his presence daily. How many of us take advantage? Why would we NOT want to enter his presence every moment of every day? There is an inviting gate that draws us to his presence. Yet, we so often ignore the invitation. I can only tell you from experience that I can come up with some pretty amazing excuses for not spending time with God. I'm too busy, too tired, too grumpy, too depressed, too............ You get the picture. But I miss the joy, I miss the love and the healing power he freely gives. All of the reasons I don't spend time with God are just the reasons I should. He can wipe away the pain of the day. He can rejuvinate. He can bring joy. He can rescue us from all things. All we have to do is open the gate and enter.

The Lord is Good, his love endures forever. I believe it, then why don't I put more of an effort to experience it.

Lord, Forgive me for my excuses. I love you and want to be with you. You are a great and amazing God. I will enter your gates with Thanksgiving and your courts with PRAISE!