Praise waiteth for thee, O God

 

"Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion."  

Yes, indeed it does. Praise waits for Him.  The Lord's Day is coming!  And oh how eagerly we anticipate the opportunity to gather with the saints and to lift up your voices in praise, in wonder, in thanksgiving, in love and joyful song. 

Is He not worthy? What is the cry of every child of God?  What is our answer?

Yes! With all our hearts, with all our being, yes!! He is worthy.

Did He bleed for us? Did He suffer for us? 

Ah, more than that, was this for me??  That I - worm as I am - might appear with Him in glory??  And shall I not sing? Shall I not join with the angels and saints in their songs to Him who was slain?  

What a question!

There is no need to deliberate, no need to consult with kings and kingdoms. No, we know what our King deserves.  And we love Him.  Oh, He is our beloved.  He is that Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.  He is that One thing needful, that pearl of great price, that Altogether Lovely One.  My King, my Saviour, my ALL in all.   

And so, yes, praise waits for thee O God in Zion. Your people, your remnant, are waiting to praise You. 

Kings and kingdoms may come against us. They may take our freedom, they may take our homes, they may even take our lives; but they cannot keep us from this! In freedom or in bonds, in life or in death, we will sing the praises of our Redeemer - for He is worthy!

So what then of the civil authorities?   We have been warned against gathering.  We have been informed of serious consequences if we fail to comply.  So what of the OPP, the courts and the provincial government?   What is our answer?  My answer is simple.  In the words of my Master, "You could have no power at all against me unless it had been given you from above."   

And what if we are summoned before judges?  We will remember that we must one day stand before the Judge of all the earth.  

And what if earthly courts condemn us?  We will remember that heavenly tribunal where we will all be summoned to give an account for the deeds done in the body, and so we will seek rather to curry the favour of God than the favour of men.   

And what if the cost is very great?  We will remember that "better country," we will remember the price paid by our Redeemer, we will remember that there we will no longer be absent from Lord, and so pressing toward the mark for the prize we will rejoice and be exceeding glad.    

And what if we are fined and told to gather no more?  Here I speak not for Faith Presbyterian Church but for myself.  

I will gather anyway.  

I have said it before and I say it again here.  I have been gathering with believers all along, sometimes openly and sometimes secretly.   As a Christian I have tried to obey other laws.  I have sought to respect and honour the authorities in every way possible; but those laws which would prevent me from gathering with other believers for fellowship, prayer, preaching, sacraments and praise I have never attempted to obey.  Those laws which would put me at odds with my King I cannot and will not obey under any circumstances.  

So what will the coming weeks hold?   I am not sure.  That belongs to God.  But the path of duty is absolutely clear.  

If the authorities wish to keep me from gathering for worship they will have to put me in prison.  But even there I will find a congregation to gather.

I take these words for my motto: cedo nulli.  I yield to none.

Here I stand.

A week and half ago I sent the following to CTV News in answer to their request for a statement.  I offer it here by way of explanation:

As a Christian it is my duty to gather with other believers to worship God. The Bible is not ambiguous on this point. This has been patently clear to Christians for 2000 years, which is why they have gathered openly or secretly for centuries without fail even when doing so cost them their lives. Simply put, the maintenance of public worship is a non-negotiable principle. From that principle I cannot and will not stray.

Since I first seriously committed my life to Jesus I have never altered course on this; nor would I want to. I did not stop gathering with believers during the last lockdown, I continue to gather with believers now, and I will continue to do so in the future regardless of the consequences.

I have not personally concerned myself with whether the government thinks I can or cannot meet with other Christians to worship God. That does not belong to them, it belongs to Him. My allegiance belongs to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ... and I give it gladly!

I have been asked if I have considered the consequences of my actions. I can tell you that I am not worried about the virus, about public opinion, about fines or even imprisonment. I worry only about offending and dishonouring Him. The duty is mine, the consequences belong to God. All that matters to me is that Jesus may be "magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death (Philippians 1:20)." The Bible says that one day we shall all stand to give an account for the deeds done in the body. Then it will be His verdict that counts.

- Steve Richardson