"Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who is the Maker of heaven and earth."

Pslam 134:1-3

Psalm 134 was used as pilgrimage steps along with other 14 psalms of Ascent. Psalm 134 is the climax of the journey toward God a shout of praise.

This psalm contains a call to worship, presenting the greatness of God (vv. 1, 2), and invites us to experience the joy of his blessings (v. 3). God is the Maker of heaven and earth but he is also approachable for us humans, for our praise and worship. The psalm was probably used at night (v. 1).

What is beyond doubt is the call to praise the Lord. Yet it also opens up the idea that this praise and blessing goes in two directions: God receives our praise; we are blessed by the Lord. Being praiseful brings its own blessing. To remember that we are eternally beloved, even in the hardest times, is a way of praising God even when we cannot feel the joy. His praiseworthiness is a fact; his blessing of us is a fact. There are times when we run out of words of our own or we cannot find anything to say to God because we are sad. At those times, let us read Psalm 134 and remember that we are blessed and he is the blesser. Always and forever. Hallelujah.

Closing Prayer

I praise you, Lord, for who you are and for your countless blessings—not just for me, but for those I love and care about

(edited from Encounter with God).