Receiving the Downpour: Worship as Dwelling Place of Rest
John son
Psalm 132:7-9
Introduction
We live in a culture that never stops. Our schedules are packed, our minds are crowded, and even our spiritual lives can feel rushed. We run from one responsibility to the next, always trying to accomplish, always trying to produce. And in that non-stop pace of life, Sometimes, worship itself can start to feel like just another task—something we check off, another box to tick, another item on our spiritual to-do list.
Let’s think about it for a moment. Because for some of us and many of us, this may be what our Sundays look like: Sunday morning comes, and instead of entering worship with expectation, you’re already running through your mental checklist. You’re thinking about the emails you didn’t send, the tasks you didn’t finish at work, or the errands waiting for you afterward. You’re physically in the sanctuary, but your mind and heart are still racing through everything else on your plate. And by the end, you may walk away with a quiet sense of guilt, aware that your heart never really settled before the Lord. Or you may leave feeling oddly satisfied, as if you had done your part by just coming to church.
But God’s invitation is radically different. Worship is not about adding one more thing to your list. It’s not about striving to impress God or prove your devotion. Instead, worship is about resting in His presence, letting yourself dwell with Him and receive the grace He freely pours out, even in the midst of our busy, distracted lives.
This is why Scripture consistently links God’s presence with rest. The famous Psalm 23 (v.1-3a) reminds us: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:1-3a) Here, rest is not something we find apart from God—it is found in His presence, as He leads and restores us. And even in the wilderness, God told Moses, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14).
So the concept of “rest” is inseparable from God’s presence. And what this shows us so important – that rest is something relational, not merely situational.
And our text today points us toward the same reality. It paints a vision of worship as a home, a sacred space where God dwells and we are invited to rest, abide, and receive His sustaining grace. Worship is not just a moment in time—it’s how we learn to make our home in God, letting Him hold all that we are while we simply rest in Him.
1. Worship is where we intentionally draw near to God’s presence
Our text in. v7-8 says - 7“Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!” 8 Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
The first thing to notice in this passage is the plural language: “Let us go… let us worship.” This is not the voice of a single worshiper, but the collective cry of God’s people. What this reveals is that there is something deeply significant about worshiping together.
Personal worship matters, and living a life of worship in our daily rhythms matters. But there is something distinctive and formative about corporate worship—because it is the time and space where God’s people come with a shared longing to encounter Him and to receive His presence together.
And flowing out of that communal posture is an intentional movement toward God’s presence. “Let us go… let us worship… Arise, O LORD.” These are not casual words. They express a sense of longing, a sense of expectation, and sense of intentional pursuit. The people are not just assuming God’s presence or drifting into worship; they are deliberately drawing near, calling upon the LORD to meet them where He has promised to be.
Now, in the context of Psalm 132, Israel is remembering the Ark of the Covenant— which is the symbol of God’s covenant presence. That is what “the ark of your might” refers to in verse 8. In the Old Testament, the ark was placed in the tabernacle, and later in the temple, within the Holy of Holies—which was the dwelling place of God.
This was a visible and sacred space where God’s people could come to encounter His presence in a tangible way. It was a place set apart for holy encounter, where God’s glory rested among His people, drawing them near and filling them with awe, hope, and life.
And that is why the psalmist, together with the people of God, speaks with such purpose and expectancy: “Let us go to the place where God has promised to meet us.”
But in our context today, God’s presence is even nearer. Through Jesus, God dwelt among His people in a new and intimate way. And now through the Holy Spirit, God now dwells within each of us. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:16- Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
And yet, worship remains a deliberate act of drawing near together.
Now, one thing I want to clarify is that when we gather for Sunday worship, we are not trying to summon God or limit His presence to a place. Sometimes in modern worship, there’s this idea that we somehow have to “invite God into our space,” as if He’s not already there. Or there is this sentiment that in order to meet God, we have to come to church. But let me tell you, that’s not what Scripture teaches. God is never absent, and His Spirit is never limited. We don’t bring God into the space. He is already there.
So Sunday Worship and corporate worship is not about summoning God or trying to meet Him at His temple. But rather, our Sunday worship is about us, as the people of God, drawing near to Him with intention. It’s about stepping out of our routines, laying down distractions, aligning our hearts together as God’s people and saying, “Lord, we want to meet with You—fully, and expectantly, together as people who belong to You” And when God’s people come together in this intentional, expectant, and open posture, something powerful happens: that as we position ourselves to receive, grace begins to flow, we are encouraged by the fellowship we share with God and one another, and we encounter Him in ways that shape us for the week ahead and.
This is why corporate worship matters. While God is always with us, worship creates a concentrated and intentional space where we open ourselves fully to Him—where we listen, respond, and allow God to saturate us with His presence. It is the primary means by which we encounter God together in a focused, formative way and begin to receive the downpour of His grace.
If I can give an example - Think of it like this. On any given Sunday, I move through the church and meet members as I go—shaking hands, saying hi, maybe chatting for a minute. That’s part of my role and it’s valuable, but there’s a big difference between that general presence and an intentional time of visitation. When I set aside a specific time to visit someone—sit with them, hear their heart, pray with them, really engage—that encounter is deeper, more focused, more meaningful.
Worship works the same way. God is always present, and His Spirit is never limited. But worship is the intentional space where we draw near to Him, with purpose and expectation. It’s the time when we slow down, set aside distractions, and open our hearts fully, saying, “Lord, we want to meet with You—here, together, expectantly.”
But drawing near to God intentionally is not an end in itself; it is the pathway through which our souls find rest and we begin to receive the ongoing outpouring of His grace.
2. Worship Is Where We Find Rest and Receive Ongoing Grace
In v. 8 of our text, the Psalmist says - “Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place.”
Notice the focus here: God’s presence is linked with a resting place. But we need to be clear about something—when the psalmist says, “Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place,” he is not concerned about God needing rest, as though God were weary or in need of refreshment. This is not about God’s well-being—it is about God’s people.
The psalmist is expressing a longing for God’s manifest presence to dwell among them, because he knows that when God rests among His people, His people are the ones who find rest in Him.
Verse 9 makes that outcome clear- “Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy.”
Do you see the movement? God comes to His resting place—and the result is that His people are transformed. Those who worship at His footstool are clothed with righteousness. Those who draw near intentionally are filled with deep joy. In other words, God’s presence produces spiritual renewal in His people.
Worship becomes the place where grace is received, where hearts are restored, and where lives are reshaped.
Now, if we’re honest, when most of us think about rest, we usually think in external terms. We associate rest with not having to work, going on vacation, getting more sleep, or finally having time to do what we enjoy. And those things are good gifts from God. But they are also temporary and fleeting. Eventually, the vacation ends. Monday comes. The emails pile up. Reality returns. And that sense of rest quickly fades away.
But the kind of rest God is inviting us into is different. It is not based on changing our circumstances—it flows from being in relationship with Him. It is lasting because it is rooted in God’s presence, not our situation.
Psalm 23 illustrates this perfectly. God leads us beside green pastures and still waters, yes, but He also prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies, and David declares, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for you are with me.” God’s rest does not come from removing all difficulty; it comes from His faithful presence to guide, protect, and sustain us even in the midst of life’s challenges.
Jesus echoes this relational rest in Matthew 11:28. Jesus says - “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
He doesn’t promise a burden-free life; He promises soul-rest that flows from coming to Him.
And Hebrews 4:9 reminds us that – “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God”— “Sabbath rest” here is not just about a day off or a weekly break. It’s about entering into God’s rest through trust and surrender. Just as God rested after creation, He invites His people into a rhythm of reliance on Him—ceasing from trying to control everything, stopping our striving, and resting in His presence and provision. In other words, Sabbath rest is the soul-level rest that comes when we stop relying on our own strength and let God carry what we cannot.
This is what happens in worship. When we draw near together with open hearts, we are not just participating in a service—we are positioning ourselves to receive ongoing grace. We bring our weariness, our anxieties, and our burdens, and God meets us with righteousness, joy, and renewed strength.
It’s like a child resting in a parent’s arms. The rest doesn’t come because everything around them is perfect. It comes because they are held securely by the one they trust. Worship invites us into that same posture—resting relationally in God’s presence, letting Him carry what we cannot, and receiving the grace that sustains us.
[P.John’s Testimony about finding rest and renewal through worship amidst extreme exhaustion]
Now this is just one example of countless times I’ve experienced the rest of my soul through coming into God’s presence in worship. I can tell you that time and time again, the Lord has met me here in our time of worship. And I know many of you could share similar stories—moments when you came tired, burdened, or discouraged, and God quietly restored you.
And at the same time, I also want to be mindful that for some of us, the weight we carry goes far beyond physical exhaustion. Some of you are walking through prolonged seasons of hardship—health struggles, family tensions, financial pressure, grief, uncertainty, or quiet battles that few people see. And for you, rest may feel distant right now.
But let me tell you, my brothers and sisters: worship is not just for when life feels manageable. It is especially for moments like these.
So wherever you are, whatever difficult season you are walking in – You can come just as you are. You can bring your tired bodies, your anxious hearts, your unanswered questions. We draw near together—not because we have it all together, but because we need Him.
And as we do, something extraordinary happens. It’s not that all the pressures suddenly disappear, and it’s not that life magically becomes easier. But in worship, we come face to face with a faithful God who meets us right where we are. And our ever so gracious loving gentle Savior reminds us that we are known, that we are loved, and that our weary souls can rest in a living relationship with Him. And In that sacred moment, God shifts our vision, recalibrates our hearts, realigns our priorities, and gently lifts the weight we’ve been carrying.
I know that for many of us, life feels full right now. Some of us are tired. Some of us are carrying worries that no one else sees. Some of us are walking through seasons that feel heavy and long. That’s why God, in His kindness, keeps inviting us back—week after week—not to perform, not to prove anything, but simply to be with Him. This is where our souls are re-anchored. This is where grace is renewed. This is where we learn again to stop striving and start trusting, to lay down what we’re holding so tightly, and to rest in the care of a loving Father. Amen?
Conclusion
So my brothers and sisters, as we come to the end of this mini-series, let me leave you with this simple invitation: Come to worship with expectation.
Not expectation for a perfect service. Not expectation for a certain quality of song or message or atmosphere. But expectation to meet a faithful God who delights to receive you, restore you, and renew you.
Come each week not just to attend, but to dwell. Not just to participate, but to rest. Come ready to lay down your burdens and open your hands to receive. Come believing that God longs to pour His grace into your weary hearts.
Jesus is the foundation of our worship. He has given us the framework of worship to respond to His grace. And now, He invites us to make our home in His presence—to dwell with Him, to abide in Him, and to find rest for our souls.
So whether you arrive strong or tired, hopeful or struggling, clear-minded or overwhelmed—come. Come expecting grace. Come expecting rest. Come expecting to be met by a loving Savior who knows your story and holds your life.
And as we continue to gather week after week, may worship become for us not just something we do, but a place we dwell—a sacred rhythm where we receive the downpour of God’s grace, are clothed with righteousness, filled with joy, and sent back into the world renewed. Amen.
Reflection and Response
Let’s take a moment to reflect and respond.
My brothers and sisters, worship is God’s gentle invitation to draw near, to dwell in His presence, and to find rest for our souls. So at this time let’s take a moment to ask ourselves:
- What does my soul most need rest from right now? Where have I been carrying more than I was meant to carry?
- When I come to worship, am I coming mainly out of routine—or with expectation to meet God and receive His grace? What might it look like for me to shift my posture from attendance to dwelling?
- Are there areas of my life where I am still striving for control, instead of resting in God’s care? What would it mean for me to entrust those places to Him today?
Wherever we might be today, let us bring our burdens to Him, open our hearts to His grace, and allow Him to recalibrate our spirits and renew our strength.
