Read the Psalm

Psalm 134 is the final psalm in the ascent to the holy place. As one stands on the mountain where the temple resides, this prayer celebrates that God dwells among us. Different than any other faith system in the world, God comes to us. He tabernacles among us and makes the earth His dwelling place. In this sense, everything is a holy place for encounter with the living God. In Christ, we are His dwelling place as well. 

The response in prayer is to “bless the Lord” and “lift up your hands to the holy place.” To be in this place, God’s house, is to be home.

He is our home.

What flows is gratefulness and a desire to celebrate and bless the name of the Lord. To bless is to speak well of someone … to sing their praises. Pause for a moment. No matter how you are experiencing life at the moment … pause and consider the reality that you are in the holy place. You are dwelling with God. Even truer, He is dwelling with you. He is by your side. He will never leave you or forsake. Dwell in the conscious awareness of His presence. Let this reality sink into your bones. 

As you dwell in this place, notice the gratefulness become stronger than any other awareness. Stronger than discouragement. Stronger than fear. Stronger than happiness. Stronger than life itself. Note the comparison between God’s love and life described in Psalm 63:1-4 …

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you;

         my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

         So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.

         Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

         So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.

In Psalm 84, we are drawn to a similar comparison. Life, here, in God’s presence is better than anything, anywhere. Just a taste is better than drinking deeply all else.

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! (vv. 10-12)

As we bless His name, our hearts, minds, and bodies are fully oriented toward reality. The reality that life is in Him, with Him, for Him. With a grateful heart, we connect to God’s heart. To the church in Thessalonica, the apostle Paul wrote: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (5:16–18) This way of “blessing the Lord’s name” (gratefulness) transcends circumstances. And perhaps, rather than seeing three invitations in rejoice, pray, and give thanks, is it possible they are one? Notice what one of the early church fathers, St. Basil the Great, shared in a sermon: 

“When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself down before God and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way.” (Homily in Psalm 33)

When gratitude for God’s presence and His love in our lives is the lens that colors everything, all things take on a new shade of meaning. From this place, we find ourselves in a place of orientation (toward God) even as our circumstances are disorienting,

Reflection questions: what does gratitude for God look like in your life? What does it mean for you to “lift your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord”? How can you see gratitude reshaping your vision of the world around you?

Prayer: Lord, in Your mercy, may gratitude increasingly be my disposition in all things. Remind me to pray and rejoice always as I give thanks. Lord, I sing Your praises. You are worthy of so much more than I could ever express. Amen.