Read Psalm 134:
‘Come bless the LORD, all your 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!’
Usually psalms like this one are the ones I tend to gravitate towards. Uplifting, praising God types. (This is actually the final psalm of the palms of ascent, so it’s the crescendo of the people’s ascension to Jerusalem for festivals/worship.) I think I am probably not alone though, in tending towards being in a season of lament in the past two weeks… the past six months…the past year, perhaps. So, to be honest, it felt a little like whiplash to be meditating on this Psalm this week. I realized that it had been a long time since I had actually sat down (or stood up) and blessed God. Sure, I have been thankful- especially thankful for health, power, water, etc. But I think there’s a difference between blessing God for who he is and blessing God for what he provides (and I believe there’s a place for both!).
And what does it mean to bless the Lord exactly? According to Timothy Keller, blessing God is “authentic speaking about God’s goodness and greatness”. So take a few minutes to speak to God about His goodness and greatness. These things are always true and won’t ever change- praise God!
The last verse turns from calling the people to bless the LORD to calling for the LORD to bless the people, recognizing God is the one who has the power to bless. This brought me back to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, which tells us what it means to be blessed. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom… blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied….blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.”
God, remind us of our spiritual poverty. Help us to recognize our desperate need for you throughout our days.
God, as we fast together, help us hunger and thirst for a right relationship with you as we feel physical hunger and thirst. Helps us to be aligned with you as we are moved by the grievous sacred moments we experience.
God, let us be peacemakers, as you entered the chaos of this world to create peace. As we are drawn into hunger and thirst in fasting because we recognize when relationships and things are off/broken, we petition you for peace. Help us to be peacemakers in our everyday roles and relationships.
As we bless You for who You are, bless us by reminding us of your upside-down kingdom.
Amen.
- Ally Landis