Psalm 134
This short and sweet little psalm is all about blessing: our blessing God, and His blessing us:
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.
Photo © Unsplash/Nicola Ricca
How is it possible that in so few words lies the key to God’s circuit of blessings? We praise, or bless, the Lord with our hands lifted to Him in thanksgiving. He—the Maker of heaven and earth—responds by blessing us.
Why does this psalm remind us that God is the Maker of heaven and earth? I think the answer lies in the purpose of the blessings. In order to bless God, man thanks God for what He is, and God gratefully acknowledges that recognition. In order to bless man, God makes man what he is not, and man gratefully acknowledges that restoration. (Only the One who is Maker of heaven and earth can restore us to the condition in which we were originally created!)
Photo © Unsplash/Levi XU
The more God restores us into His image, the more we perceive the workings of His mighty hand. The more we are able to perceive the workings of His mighty hand, the more we praise Him. And the more we praise Him, the more our hearts are opened to His transforming power. The more our hearts are opened to His transforming power, the more we are restored into His image.
It’s a natural process, and it’s a circuit. God’s blessings lead to more and more and more and more blessings. It’s a never-ending cycle!