Psalm 134 Praise to God in His Temple
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
“Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who serve at night in the house of the Lord.
Lift your hands toward the sanctuary, and praise the Lord.
May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Jerusalem.”
Consider the priests on duty at the temple in Jerusalem. Obviously, these men were organized into shifts, including priests to offer prayers, singers, musicians, etc. Now think about what it was like in the temple during the daytime.
During the day, the temple would be packed with worshipers praying, making offerings and sacrifices, and meeting and greeting one another.Anyone working the day shift could look forward to an interesting and stimulating time. But what about night in the temple?
Once the evening prayers and sacrifices had been offered, things would be very quiet. There were lights that were to be kept burning at all times, and night workers would be responsible for ensuring that these lights were supplied with purest oil, that the wicks were properly trimmed, and that everything was in its place. But none of these duties would take very long, so what were the temple workers to do for the rest of the night? This psalm tells us that they were to “praise the Lord,” and that they were to “lift their hands toward the sanctuary and praise the Lord.”
We might imagine that even though music would have been softer than in the daytime, musicians would still have been playing, singers singing, and those assigned to special prayer would be praying.
There are several important things about this psalm. First, worship is to continue even when there’s no audience. These days, much of what passes for worship in many churches has actually become performance. Sadly, many lead singers behave as if they are auditioning for Christian music videos, not leading people into the throne room of God.
Next, worship and prayer at night are particularly important. During the daytime, many of us are so distracted that even when we repeat prayers, we may be doing it by rote rather than by heart. But at night when things are quiet, it’s much easier to pray effectively and also much easier to hear the Holy Spirit. While the Holy Spirit may come as a rushing wind on occasion, it’s far more common for the Holy Spirit to speak very softly. Daytime events can make it impossible to hear the Holy Spirit. Remember that prayer is a two-way conversation, not a recitation. If all we are doing is dumping our problems and grievances on God without listening for His answers, we have accomplished nothing.
Yet another reason for nighttime prayer and worship is the spiritual danger many people find themselves in at night. When we are tired, Satan can appeal to our fatigue to lead us into self-pity, a useless endeavor that precludes hearing from God. Those wishing to hurt us may try to attack us in dreams. There have been many occasions when God has awakened me and ordered me to pray for people. Sometimes I eventually get feedback but many times, I do not. No matter. God is the One handing out prayer assignments. My job is to obey, not to argue.
When I can’t sleep, I do my devotional reading for the next day, assuming that I might be called out for a medical emergency at the time I would normally be doing devotions.
How can we hear from God at night? The prayer Eli told the boy Samuel to pray gives us the answer. “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” We can also ask God to help quiet our hearts and minds so that we will hear His still small voice speaking in our minds.
Very few believers ever hear God speaking in an audible voice. I was once in a Bible study where several believers were testifying, saying, “God told me…..” After several of these testimonies, one sweet lady broke down and wept, saying, “You keep saying ‘God told me’ but God never tells me anything!” Sadly, this lady was legally blind and yet bravely took two different city buses to and from work each day. Obviously, God had to be guiding her, but she misunderstood our enthusiasm to mean that God was speaking to the rest of us audibly. It took quite a bit of time that night to let this lady see that she was receiving just as much guidance from God as the rest of us were.
There’s a meme that says, “If you can’t sleep, don’t count sheep. Talk to the Shepherd.” Find a quiet place. Spend time with God and ask Him to speak to you. Even if you don’t feel as if God has said anything to you, you will still find you have peace and you can go to sleep.
Psalm 4:8 tells us, “In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.” Come bless the Lord, lifting up your hands in worship. And then go to sleep, knowing that the Shepherd is keeping watch.
PRAYER Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, many of us feel helpless, confused, conflicted and exhausted. Please speak to the hearts of all who read these words, comforting them and letting them know that You are with them and that You will never leave them or forsake them. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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