Do you ever watch nature shows? There’s a popular video on YouTube (currently at 86 million views!) called Battle at Kruger. It was filmed at a park in Africa and depicts a scene of predator versus prey. In it, a herd of wildebeests are drinking at a watering hole. A pride of lions descends and separates a young wildebeest from the herd, intending to make it their lunch. There are some crocodiles involved too, which makes the whole scene that much crazier.
Ultimately, the rest of the herd realizes there is safety in numbers and returns and rescues the young wildebeest. Five lions were no match for a herd of 50!
Of course, there’s a spiritual lesson here. When we are alone, we are vulnerable, weak, and maybe even lost. But when we are together, we are able to take on so much more. That’s true in life and it’s true as believers.
You see, we were made to worship. Not only that, we were made to worship together. Hebrews 10:24-25 says,
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Not meeting together and worshiping together has their consequences. One of the most famous Psalms is about the pain and depression the psalmist feels because he is unable to worship at the house of God.
We Become Spiritually Thirsty
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
When we don’t worship God, we become spiritually parched. Our souls thirst for God, the psalmist says. He was not just far from God, but physically far from Jerusalem and the temple where they worshiped at the time. “My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.” (Psalm 42:6)
It’s easy to drift away from God when you’re not connected to His people. Actually, in this Psalm it’s not drifting but being swept away, “all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.” When we are not regularly communing with God and His people, we can very quickly find ourselves swept out to sea with no life preserver.
We Are Open to Attack
“I say to God, my rock:
‘Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?’
As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
‘Where is your God?’”
God hasn’t forgotten you. But when you’re far from Him, it can sure feel that way. That’s what the enemy is counting on, what he’s waiting for. When we feel farthest from God, that’s when it’s easiest for the enemy to attack. We are vulnerable when we are alone, and stronger together.
But there is hope!
Twice, the psalmist reminds us to hope in God.
“Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.”
As believers, there will be a day that we will join with others to praise Him again, even if we are unable to in this life. Revelation describes that day to come like this:
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”
As my son would say, “Let’s goooo!”
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