Today we wrap up the Ascent psalms, each a song that was sung by worshippers on their way to Jerusalem for a feast, festival, and fellowship at the temple. Psalm 134 is one of the more brief songs and leaves me wondering what the melody was like as they put one foot in front of another and trekked through their journey:
Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord!
May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!
One thing I’m learning about the Lord is how everything he asks of us, ultimately benefits us. Can you think of anything in scripture that we are called to do that doesn’t ultimately grow us or protect us? Worshipping him is no different. This psalm instructs us to bless (worship) the Lord and lift up our hands to Him. Why would the God of the universe, creator of all things, care whether or not I praise Him?
This song affirms that when we worship and glorify the Lord, we are blessed in return. So how exactly does that work? My best guess is that the act of praising God for who he is and what he has done, will draw our hearts closer to him and further from this world. By focusing on God’s attributes and having a heart of gratitude, we are less likely to have a grumbling spirit. I’ve been challenged in my faith journey to spend more time in focused worship. Have you ever heard the acrostic P-R-A-Y to help guide your prayer time? Here’s a visual:
This really stuck with me – and pointed out that while I have so much to be grateful for, my worship was pretty routine and even mundane at times. I have found that when I spend intentional time praising God for who He is, it leads me to recognize even more of who He is in my every day life. For example, worshipping God for his faithfulness and focusing on that, helps me see other ways he has been faithful in my life. As I praise Him, He becomes even bigger and more worthy of my praise. The things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace (Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, Helen Howarth Lemmel).
When life seems to be out of control, I can focus my prayer time on the P in PRAY and it will center me back to who He is, and what He has done. Not to mention, it’s a great reminder of what He will do. Glorifying God isn’t just for him – it blesses me at the same time!
This past week we wrapped up the last day of school for my kiddos, 5th grade and 2nd grade! In-person learning has been a privilege and blessing and we have grown so much doing school during a pandemic. Educators, students, and parents made the most of this opportunity, and yet it was still very different. I was so excited that John’s second grade teacher decided to host her own classroom awards to recognize each student for something special. Like all the events this year, parents weren’t able to attend (social distancing, etc). Lucky for us, his sweet teacher offered us a zoom link to watch and participate. Sure, it’s not the same, but it’s better than nothing! These eight year olds were so excited for this special time on their last day.
I looked at my watch, okay I have forty minutes to finish a project I was working on before this zoom. S Q U I R R E L ! Something distracted me and before I knew it, I went from project to laundry to dishes – and completely spaced the zoom. FOR DIRTY DISHES! My heart sank when I realized it. After a year of not having parent volunteers in the classroom, field trips, and so many other things…this small classroom zoom was going to be a special way to “wrap up” the year. I couldn’t believe I missed the chance to celebrate these kids! I was so bummed out – as was John when he realized I wasn’t on the zoom. I missed what his teacher had to say, and wasn’t at home cheering him along.
While celebrating my second grader’s achievements is quite different than lifting up our hands and glorifying God, this parallel struck me. How many times have I rushed through and missed a chance to celebrate God? Am I just as bummed when I’ve spent time talking to the Lord but don’t pause to recognize all he has done in my life? Don’t glorify him? Does my time talking with God center around me and my needs, wants, repentance, etc?
John’s missed zoom pales in comparison… but the lost opportunity was still a blow. I was so mad at myself! Is each lost opportunity to recognize and praise God a bigger blow in my heart? If not, why?
