The Songs of Ascent have taken us on a journey upwards toward Christ. And here at the end, Psalm 134 tells us the point of the whole journey. It tells us what we’re made for. We’re made to bless God and be blessed by God.

We were made for community. It seems hard to come by, but this psalm assures us that it is possible because of God's blessing and grace through Jesus.

Many of us journey through life at full speed, trying to accomplish big things, setting our sights on achievement and success. David says genuine rest can't be had that way. It comes, instead, as we embrace our limits, rest like a child, and hope in the Lord.

The first half of this psalm is a prayer of the people based on David’s oath to God. The second half is filled with promises from God based on God’s oath to David. And as expected, God’s promises are greater than our prayers.

What do we do with our guilt? Psalm 130 teaches us to cry out to, trust in, and wait for the Lord. With him there is forgiveness, steadfast love, and plentiful redemption.

During uncertain and unstable times, the thing we need most is to be reminded of God. This psalm is thoroughly God-centered and each stanza points us to something particular about him. When it feels like the world is falling apart, we can trust him.

This psalm addresses two aspects of human life that people have always cared about: work and family. It shows us that, without God, those things end up being pointless and fruitless.

Psalm 126 speaks to us in the desolate places and invites us to sing a song of hope that God will turn our desolate place into a harvest. We can lean into that truth as we remember God's restoration, request it now, and sow in hope God's coming restoration.

If we trust in ourselves and our resources, we will eventually falter, but those who trust in the Lord cannot be moved. They can rest secure in his sovereign love.

What do we do when we feel like the world we’re living in is not our home? When we feel like exiles in a land that’s hostile toward the things of God? Psalm 120 expresses distress over the way of the world and cries out to God for help.