Psalm 132:1-5

A Song of Ascents. Remember, O LORD, in David's favor, all the hardships he endured, how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, "I will not enter my house or get into my bed, I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."

Lord, Your son David, continues to be an example to me of dedication and fervor; an example from that great cloud of witnesses of one who set his heart to prepare a suitable dwelling place for You. Oh, that I would be as fervent in preparing me to be Your dwelling place. Help me, revel to me, guide me in rooting out those practices that sully Your Holy Temple.

Psalm 132: 6-9

Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar. "Let us go to His dwelling place; let us worship at His footstool!" Arise, O LORD, and go to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might. Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Your saints shout for joy.

You are my Resting Place. You are the the Source of Truth. You are the Fount of Righteousness. You are the Trumpet of Joy. You are the One above all others, You are my Lord and my Master.

You call me to Your service, to be Your light and salt, Your hands and feet to carry Your Truth into a lost, broken, hurting world. It is for Your Glory and Your Honor that I am called. Keep me focused on the task.

Psalm 132:10

Psalm 132:13-18

For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: "This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread. Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy. There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for My anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine."

You have chosen me to be Your dwelling place! You chose me because You desired it; not because of anything about me, but You desired me. You supply my every need; I don't! All my provisions, all my food, all my clothing, all material needs; all my emotional needs, my joy, my peace, my well being--all from You. You have lifted me out of a dark place into Your glorious presence; Your glory shines through me. Praise You, my Lord and my Master.

Psalm 133:1-3

A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

When, Lord, when will the Church enjoy that unity? When will we abandon the interdenominational strife, the internecine bickering, the turf wars that characterize the Church today? These attitudes that the world sees and judges us, often deservedly so, as evidence of our hypocrisy? When will Your Church turn their eyes off themselves and onto You?

When will I, Lord, when will I? Help me to rid my eyes of planks and logs and blind me to the perceived faults of my brothers. Then I will truly enjoy the blessing of life forevermore.

Psalm 134:1-3

A Song of Ascents. Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD! Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD! May the LORD bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth!

Oh, bless You, Lord of heaven and earth, You who are the Creator and Ruler of all that ever was, that is and that will be to come. Teach me, my Lord, to spend my life in worship, praise and thanksgiving.

Psalm 135:1-3

Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD, give praise, O servants of the LORD, who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God! Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to His name, for it is pleasant!

What a beautiful word, Lord, "pleasant." It evokes not only its root, "pleasure," but an aura of goodness, serenity, peace, vibrant color, rich aroma, harmonious music and song, unity, communion, love, grace, mercy, kindness; the list is limited only by my feeble understanding and sensing. All those characteristics that define Your Glory; open the eyes of my heart, Lord.

Psalm 135:44-7

For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel as His own possession. For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is Who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, Who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.

You reached down into the filth of humanity and lifted me out to be a possession of Your own. You loved me before I was in my mother's womb, before the beginning of time, you selected me. You, the One who demonstrates His power and creativity daily through clouds, lightnings and winds; You are the One who saves. Praise You for You are Goodness.

Psalm 135:8-14

He it was Who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and of beast; Who in your midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants; Who struck down many nations and killed mighty kings, Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan, and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to His people Israel. Your name, O LORD, endures forever, Your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages. For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants.

Who is it who sends signs and wonders against the self worshiping cultures of the world? Who is is who transforms lives, heals the sick, comforts the poor, gives succor to the afflicted, restores righteousness and justice?

Who is it, but You Lord. It is You who vindicate Your people and have compassion upon those who serve You. It is You, Lord, who gives those words of assurance, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27)

Your name, my Lord, does endure forever. Praise Your Holy Name and let it be known among all the peoples.

Psalm 119:33

Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.

Teach me, O Lord, the way... Not the ways but the way. You said, "I am the Way...." You said, " Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself." Burn the Way, this Way into my very being. I need a blaring klaxon and a flashing red light to alert me to those moments when I am about to step out of the Way, I need my sensitivity sensitized.

Psalm 119:36-37

Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in Your ways.

What comes first, Lord, my heart yearning after selfish gain or my eyes feasting on worthless things? But through You, through Your Holy Spirit, I am being inclined to yearn for the righteousness of Your Law and seeking to feast my eyes on the glories of life in the Kingdom of God in the here and now. Praise You, my Lord and my Master

Psalm 135:15-18

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them!

It must be the defining mark of man's arrogance that he pretends to invest god status into an object that he has fashioned through his own efforts. And so, man becomes as if he were one of these fashioned objects, unable to hear Your voice, unable to see Your majesty, unable to speak of Your grace, unable to fathom the depth, width, height, the very span of Your love for him.