Worshipping in Bed

Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.  (Psalm 149:5)

The psalmist says, “Let the godly exult in glory.” Whose “glory”? God’s, of course. People glory in so many things: buildings, athletes, wealth, homes, parks, works, of art, etc. But the holy man is to “exult” in God’s “glory.”

Now where is this to take place? In “their beds.” Wait, what?

Bet you wouldn’t put that #2 on your list of places God wants us to worship! While we should take this literally – as a place where someone would recline to rest – it is probably also meant to stand for something greater. What would that be? Any place or scenario or time in someone’s life when things are peaceful. When life seems to be at rest is that the psalmist has in mind.

You see, the bed is a place that we can lay down and enjoy a time of relaxation and recuperation and revitalization, it can also stand for a period of a person’s life when things are at ease.

Some even suggest that it doesn’t just stand for things being at ease but privacy – standing as a contrast to a very public Temple (vs. 1-4). That could be but “beds” are not often occupied alone.

The point of all of this – worship God during those seasons in life when things are going well, when things are calm or when trouble is not around.

Of the 3 locations for worship Psalm 149 mentions, this may be the easiest one. Worshipping in the Temple provides the challenge of making the commitment to go there for worship; the next location had it’s own unique challenges as we will see in a moment; but this place of worshipping God when things are going well is pretty simple.

When God is actively showing us His blessings and no turmoil is in our life, it is easy to get up and sing Holy, Holy, Holy or 10,000 Reasons.

One of my favorite author’s – A.W. Tozer – has written, “I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.”

If you can’t worship God now when things are going well, then you will have no idea what to do with yourself in an eternal place of good, no sin, pure delight, peace, calmness, etc. Get used to it now!