Take a moment to reflect on the first two verses of Psalm 113:
Praise the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD!
Blessed be the name of the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore!
That last phrase is worth chewing on today. “From this time forth and forevermore.” Think of it in terms of the upcoming Olympic track and field relays where multiple runners carry a baton, passing it on from one runner to the next. No one person runs the entire race; each carries the baton only so far, then hands it off to the next runner.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore!
How many men and women of faith had carried that baton of blessing long before the psalmist ever drew his first breath? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jochebed, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, Caleb, Deborah, Ruth, Hannah, Samuel, David… on and on the relay continued…
In Psalm 113, the psalmist is resolving, “the name of the LORD will be blessed in my own lifetime.” But he’s also calling on others to be ready to take up the baton of blessing after him, “from this time forth and forevermore.” Think of the men and women who faithfully answered that call in their own generation and context. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Peter, James, John, Martha, Paul, Lois, Eunice, Timothy… on and on the relay continued…
How many, whose names we’ll never know on this side of eternity, have carried that baton?
“Blessed be the name of the LORD…” those words were written more than 2,500 years ago … “from this time forth and forevermore” … and there’s the bridge to where you and I sit today. “Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD!” That same baton has made its way, down through the ages, to our own time and place. Who am I to continue the relay? How is it even done? Thankfully, Psalm 113:3 puts it plainly for us:
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the LORD is to be praised!
From generation to generation, the baton has been passed. For thousands of years, men and women have presented themselves as servants, living sacrifices to God. Day after day, one day at a time, from the rising of the sun to its setting, sacrifice after sacrifice, wise choice after faith-filled choice, the baton of praise has been carried.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore!
Today? It’s another small stretch–just a few steps, really–between “from this time forth” and “forevermore.” Today, it’s our turn. Our responsibility. Our privilege. What a blessing to realize, you play a part in fulfilling “forevermore.”
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Heb 12:1)
Let’s run well today, full of faith, with eyes on the goal.