Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
Over the weekend I was listening to a lot of music that might be called “oldies” or Motown hits. One song stood out from Jackie Wilson, (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher. I have liked this song for a long time, it is catchy, has a good melody, and an uplifting message. In the story of the song, you can hear how the singer was blessed by this person’s love and how it changed his attitude and his outlook. Usually, we look to people or to God to do this for us. Psalm 134 however commands us to bless or praise the Lord.
We are to bless him by praising him. Expressing our love, admiration, and devotion to him. Of course, practically speaking, we do this by singing, studying, praying, or engaging in fellowship. This pleases God, but as I look at Psalm 134:1, I see the sacrificial aspect of this command. People took time away from hobbies, work, and everything else to come and bless the Lord. The priests and probably some of the people were to devote the whole night to this action. Surely this blessing would have pleased the Lord.
Another aspect of following this command is how it not only blesses God, but it blesses all those around. God’s people being devoted in this way would reveal God’s glory to all their neighbors. It would allow us to be ambassadors to people who might not know him. Following Psalm 134 would reveal people living in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus in all the normal aspects of life. Realistically what we might see if we follow this command is Psalm 96:2-3 lived out:
Sing to the Lord, bless his name.
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
This act of obedience would be a wonderful way to bless God. Whether you sing or talk of what Jesus has done, we have a chance to talk about God’s love and reveal his glory to all those around us. This simple command is much more than feeling better (like the song I mentioned above), it is about being who he has called us to be. Take some time to think about how you could follow this command today.
Pastor Jeremy
Family Pastor