Read Psalm 134:1-3 1Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! 2Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord! 3May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!
Here is the last of the songs of ascent.
The pilgrims have arrived in Jerusalem and find the Levites, the servants of the Lord, blessing the Lord in song, day and night at God’s temple. Musical praise and worship was added to the duties of the Levites by King David – “they shall stand every morning thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise every evening.” (1 Chron. 23:30). The Levites then return the blessing to the pilgrims – May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!
The Lord is blessed and the Lord blesses. This may sound like reciprocity, both worship parties exchanging blessing with one another. You bless my back and I’ll bless yours. But nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to our relationship with God. We bless God for all that he is. God blesses us with all that we are not. When we bless God we are giving only gratitude and praise for what he has in himself. When God blesses us he is giving himself to us.
God’s blessing us finds its final fulfillment in our union with Christ. In Christ we are fully blessed. Wholly blessed. Blessed from Zion, the place of the cross. And blessed from heavenly Zion, our dwelling place with Christ.
To live is Christ is to live blessing God and being blessed by God. Not as reciprocation. Not as equals. But as in Christ. With each and every blessing that is his now ours. If that’s not worthy of our praise and uplifted hands I don’t know what is.
Prayer. Jesus, I am blessed in you and I bless your holy name with gratitude and praise. Amen.
To Live is Christ 