January 14, 2005

“Behold, bless the Lord, all servants of the Lord, who serve by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 134

In his commentary on Psalm 134, C. H. Spurgeon quoted Samuel Martin who said, “The tabernacle and the temple were served by priests during the night as well as the day. Those priests renewed the altar fire, fed the lamps, and guarded the sacred structure from intrusion and from plunder. The Psalm before us was prepared for the priests who served the sacred place by night. They were in danger of slumbering; and they were in danger of idle reverie. Oh, how much time is wasted in mere reverie—in letting thought wander, and wander, and wander!”

The challenge to the priests who were keeping watch over the temple at night was, in part, to make the most of every opportunity to “bless the Lord.” They were to bless the Lord during the busiest time of day; and they were to bless the Lord while the temple was quiet.

The challenge to us is the same. We should make the most of every opportunity to worship the Lord. Moses put it this way in Deuteronomy 6:

“Attention, Israel! God, our God! God the one and only! Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got!

Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (The Message)

The more we ponder His wonders and His ways, the more we turn all of our thoughts to Him, the more we cast our anxieties and fears on Him, the more we will become like Him. This doesn’t just take place as we enter the sanctuary of the church on Sunday. This happens as we use every waking moment of our lives to give praise to the Maker of heaven and earth.

“Our heavenly Father, please give us the discipline of making the most of every moment to worship You…we love You and praise Your name…”