Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! 2 Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the Lord. 3 May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
Psalm 134 NRSV
This Psalm begins with a simple invitation for God’s people: Bless the Lord! What God desires from us is not complicated: the Lord wants us to praise Him! Not only during the day, but also at night. In other words, any time we have the opportunity.
Sometimes, people make things more complicated than necessary. Here, the Psalmist is clear: “Come, let’s bless the Lord!” It doesn’t get much simpler than that!
This opportunity to bless the Lord is for everyone: every single follower of God. The Lord’s desire is for not just some of us, but all of us to gather together in praising the Lord.
We can certainly praise God with our lips, yet the Psalmist extends praising God to our whole bodies as well. Lifting our hands up towards Jerusalem, the Holy Place where it was believed that God lived.
At that time, the people of Israel thought that the Lord dwelled in Zion, which is Jerusalem, site of the temple. Thus the Psalmist words “May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion”. The Lord is not limited to one location. He is always with us, walking amongst us daily.
The Psalm presents us with a wonderful, harmonious picture. The people praise God, lifting holy hands towards Zion-Jerusalem. In return, the Lord showers his blessings upon His people. It is almost as if the Lord and His people are trying to outdo each other with blessings! The image painted by the Psalm is one of mutual respect, love, and peace between God and His people.
Although it is only three verses long, Psalm 134 portrays a wonderful picture of how God and His people are supposed to relate to each other. While we do not always achieve the Lord’s desires, God always keeps His promises.
There is a song we used to sing at camp, based upon this Psalm. Here is a choral version of that song…
Come Bless the Lord Sung by Mountain Anthems. Blood Washed Band CD. Song #1 of 15. www.youtube.com
Let us pray for blessings, praise, and peace… Amen!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for desiring to be in a relationship with me moment by moment. Help me to offer to You my whole being, and not just the part I am willing to relinquish. May my actions and words, speak to others, so that they can see what a blessing You are to all.
Faithfully I pray this prayer in Jesus’ holy name, Amen
