The Last Song of Ascent

A NOTE: This is the last devotional until September 2024

Psalm 134

A Song of Ascents.

1 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
    who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place,
    and bless the Lord.

3 May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth,
    bless you from Zion.

This is the final Song of Ascent. While we do not know if the psalms were sung in order, or where along the journey each one was sung, this particular psalm makes a good conclusion to the collection, a good psalm to imagine as the last one sung.

The long journey of walking from home to Jerusalem has been completed. And having arrived in Jerusalem at the end of a long day’s travel, which was itself at the end of a number of long days of travel, the psalm writer imagines coming into Jerusalem in the evening and finding that the temple is still open, for the worship in that place never ends. Day and night the praise of God continues. 

No matter when we arrive – the Triune God of grace is waiting. No matter when we join the joyful praising crowd – it is there to be joined.

In the words of the beautiful hymn “The day Thou gavest Lord is ended”:

The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended,
The darkness falls at Thy behest;
To Thee our morning hymns ascended,
Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.

We thank Thee that Thy church, unsleeping,
While earth rolls onward into light,
Through all the world her watch is keeping,
And rests not now by day or night.

As o’er each continent and island
The dawn leads on another day,
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strain of praise away.

The sun that bids us rest is waking
Our brethren ’neath the western sky,
And hour by hour fresh lips are making
Thy wondrous doings heard on high.

So be it, Lord; Thy throne shall never,
Like earth’s proud empires, pass away:
Thy kingdom stands, and grows forever,
Till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.

The praise of God never ends as the church around the world picks up the praise and continues it.

PRAYER:

O Lord, we join our voices with those around the world in praise of you, so that never for one moment in all of the day your name is being praised and glorified. For together the church brings you such praise and glory and honour and adoration. In Jesus’ name. Amen.