Night Motivation
Psalm 134:1-3 NKJV
1 Behold, bless the Lord,
All you servants of the Lord,
Who by night stand in the house of the Lord!
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,
And bless the Lord.
3 The Lord who made heaven and earth
Bless you from Zion!
It’s not often that we get to share a devotional based on an entire chapter. This is a short chapter designed to encourage those who served in the house of the Lord at night.
There were Levites who worked the night shift. Their role was to keep the oil lamps lit throughout the night so that it was never dark in the Lord’s house. They were also tasked with making sure the fire on the altar never went out. They were guarding the house of the Lord from any unlawful entry. And lastly, they were to offer songs of praise to the Lord during the night.
This psalm was the last of the Songs of Assents Psalms 120-134. These were the songs sung by Jewish pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem for the major feasts that happened every year. Some historians think this psalm 134 was a blessing from pilgrims leaving at night and given to the Levites serving through the night.
But there are a couple of things that stand out to me that do not carry historical significance but are still worth noting. The first is that the Lord is to be praised all the time. The Jews gave that job to the Levites, but today we praise God voluntarily and not only when in church. Praising God in the metaphorical night seasons when things are dark in our lives is another facet of our praise life.
Lifting up of hands. Evidently, this is an ancient form of praise, not just a recent charismatic tradition. Lifting hands is a sign of worship and surrender.
And finally, the ancient Jews were very aware that God was the creator of the heavens and the earth. We may attribute that to Jewish tradition, but it’s certainly something we shouldn’t forget. We didn’t get here by accident. We did not evolve from single-cell organisms. God made the heavens and the earth, and God made us as well. We are fearfully and wonderfully made by our great Creator.
Prayer
Lord, we lift our hands in blessing and praise to You. You are the Creator, and we are Your people. We bless Your name.