| We are encouraged and instructed in Psalm 134 to lift | | | | your hands and where you can sing praises with a |
| up our hands as we worship the living God, the God | | | | serious and sincere and determined heart. |
| and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Worship is the | | | | The Psalmist would not allow the darkness or the |
| highest activity in which any man can be involved. | | | | depression or the gloom to invade him and encompass |
| When we worship our audience is Almighty God. | | | | him. |
| Praise and lift up your hands. There is an emphasis on | | | | He is determined to climb these slopes and to ascend |
| praise. God is serious about Praise. This is a serious | | | | these steps and to rise above the very real shade of |
| matter. | | | | the valleys. |
| To lift up holy hands is appropriate. It is not to make us | | | | He comes out of these shadows step by step and |
| look good or super spiritual, nor to draw attention to | | | | stage by stage. |
| ourselves, but as gesture of worship. It is a biblical | | | | There is a way and there is an escape. There is a |
| expression of praise. In the New Testament it is | | | | road, and at times it can be very steep. We read of |
| commanded! When it comes to Praise and Worship, | | | | that in I Corinthians Chapter 10 verses 11 to 13. |
| leadership is so vitally important. | | | | As the Psalmist lifts his hands, he experiences the |
| It is as if we are looking to our loving gracious God like | | | | blessing of the living God. Can we not testify and bear |
| a child asking to be picked up. | | | | witness to this ourselves? |
| It is possible to sing praise songs without praising, | | | | When we worship on a Sunday or a Wednesday, or |
| without having that desire, that longing and yearning to | | | | at some other tine we may come tired or weary, and |
| worship. | | | | perhaps feeling we would rather be somewhere else, |
| When reading Psalm 73 verses 16 and 17, where | | | | but as we praise and worship, the risen and living and |
| Asaph the Psalmist had problems, these many | | | | ascended Lord Jesus Christ comes and ministers to |
| problems remained and clouded his life, until he entered | | | | us. |
| the sanctuary of God; until he entered the presence of | | | | This has been the experience of the people of God |
| God. | | | | down through the centuries in Old and New |
| The key word is praise, and listening to people praising | | | | Testaments. |
| is contagious. | | | | Let God deal with you, and bless you from Zion. |
| Lifting up your hands is a very simple movement of | | | | There is a source of blessing, and that blessing can |
| muscles, and it is independent of feelings. You cannot | | | | only be received from that source. It is like a well in the |
| always command your heart like that. | | | | garden. It is not sufficient to go to the garden. We |
| In this series of fifteen Psalms called the Songs of | | | | have to go to the well, and stoop and sup and sip and |
| Ascent, we began "in my distress" Do you remember | | | | drink. |
| that? Turn back to Psalm 120 and read of the start of | | | | There is a source from which the blessing flows, and |
| the journey for yourself. But look at the Psalmist now, | | | | that blessing flows from no other source. Again, that is |
| as he is praising and worshipping. | | | | just a fact. |
| In my distress, in my darkness, and in my confusion, I | | | | Love, joy, peace, healing, salvation is the widest sense |
| was coming out of the wilderness and out of captivity, | | | | of the word can be found in no one other than Jesus |
| and making my way to Jerusalem and to the place of | | | | Christ, the Son of God. It is the task of leaders to |
| prayer. Part of the answer to such deliverance is to | | | | make this clear to everyone. |
| be in that setting and situation where you can lift up | | | | |