Pastors Who Shut Down Their Churches | Psalm 63

Psalm 63:2 says, “So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.” While on the run from his son Absalom, David has been effectively cut off the land of Israel, and most significantly, the sanctuary. Therefore, the psalmist is deprived of the praise of God, the people of God, and the presence of God. He is consumed by a desperate, and even violent, thirst for the pleasure and privilege of the presence of God in public worship. David longs to appear before his God. David knows that the sweetest times in the presence of God are not found in private devotion, but in public worship.

For the past 18 months, Christians (and especially pastors) have been presented with a simple choice: Either forsake the gathering to minimize the physical threat of death to our bodies, or continue to gather to minimize the spiritual threat of damnation to our souls. Some overly zealous Calvinists might object at this point by insisting that God is sovereign over salvation, and therefore, he is capable of preserving the souls of his elect, even in the absence of physically gathering together on the Lord’s Day. However, I might remind these Calvinists that the same God who is sovereign over salvation is sovereign over everything, and therefore, he is also quite capable of preserving the health of his people as they diligently seek to obey his commands.