Bless the Lord O My Soul

Sometimes I wonder if our view of "bless" has been twisted around. Countless homes are adorned with plaques which read, "Lord Bless this Home." Millions of Americans will proudly sing "God Bless America" whether or not they are Christians. If we have a church picnic and it doesn't rain, we say, "God really blessed us with good weather." When someone buys a shiny new car they say, "Wow, didn't God ever bless me!"

God does bless us. In fact, I believe that He longs to bless us. And, He blesses us even when we don't deserve the blessing. In Psalm 115:13 it reads,

"He will bless those who fear the Lord, both the small and the great."

Lauren and I prayed for 100 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child and God gave us 101. It was above and beyond our expectations, truly what you call a blessing. But it didn't just bless us. 25 other girls were blessed, too, as well as 101 children and their families. I'm not sharing this to sound better than someone else, instead it's an example for us to examine.

I think before we ask God to bless us, perhaps we should consider what we're asking for. Will it bless others, will it draw us closer to our King? And most importantly, will it bless the Creator Himself?

Recently, my mother told me that the word, "bless", means to bow down. So when God blesses us, He essentially bows down to the earth to bless us. When we bless Him, we should bow down, too, by serving and worshipping the King.

I've listed some verses below, and I really encourage you to read them and think them over. Is our daily life blessing the Lord? Or are we just asking for something and when we get it, we are considering that as His blessing? I really want to bless my King, will join me in the journey?

Sing to the Lord, bless His name; tell of His salvation from day to day. Psalm 96:2

Stand up and bless the Lord from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. Nehemiah 9:5

Then David said to all the assembly, "Bless the Lord your God." And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their Fathers, and bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and the King. 1 Chronicles 29:20

Stay strong in Him!