“Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 134)
This is the final “Song of Ascent”. It ends the pilgrims’ journeys to the great Festivals with a call to worship and a promise of blessing. Psalm 134 is the shortest of the Songs of Ascent. It comes at the point when the pilgrims are departing Jerusalem after worship together. The focus is on continuity. The psalm reminds us that ministry, service and worship are our calling every day. We have those ‘festival moments’ at special events, the mountain-top moment or the Sunday ‘highs’. But our lives are lived 24-7
Ministry through the night. “Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord.” God sees those who serve when nobody else is active and watching. The temple servants worked while others slept. Much of God’s work is done away from public attention and on routine days of the week. Daily faithfulness matters more than Sunday visibility. There are many who quietly minister anonymously and unseen and unheralded in our churches. May God bless the prayer warriors, the caregivers, the drivers and lift-givers, the bakers and meal-makers, the DIYers and gardeners, the cleaners and dishwashers.
Service in the dark. Night can also represent those seasons of difficulty that we all experience. The psalm references a literal night but there are also nights of spiritual darkness. God’s servants continue to serve even through challenging times. Think of Paul and Silas praying and singing in prison at midnight (Acts 16). We can put up a façade Sunday by Sunday in the sanctuary. We can tell that peculiarly Scottish lie when asked, “And how are you?” “Fine.” May God sustain and bless those who continue serving God when life has become difficult.
Praise beyond the sanctuary. (v.2) “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.” Worship involves active participation. “Lift up your hands” is an outward expression of inward devotion. Biblical praise engages heart, mind, body, and spirit. The focus is not on feelings or performance. Praise our directs attention to God’s worthiness. Praise can also become a lifestyle. While situated in the sanctuary and often starting there, our praise can extend beyond gathered worship. Our lives can become an offering of praise. May God bless those whose worship is sincere and continuous, whose weekday lives are lived heart, mind, body and soul to match their Sunday praise.
May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.