We continually ask God to bless America, bless this meal, bless that person or this person, and I’m sure we can all fill in other blessings we ask of God.
But do you remember to bless the Lord? Psalm 63:4
Matthew 5:6 Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Do you remember God first thing in the morning? Are you blessing God in your going, coming, in public, private, among enemies or friends?
“O God, You are my God;... Thus I will bless you while I live;...” This is a requirement for those who call Jesus Lord. To bless God means that God’s will and his ways surpass ours. We don’t live for God only in desperate times and forget him in easy. We learn and obey his ways in the easy, so the hard times squeeze out words, attitudes, and actions that bless the Lord.
"I will bless the Lord at all times. His praises will always be on my lips." There are times listed in those sentences. “At all times,” no matter the circumstances, we reach out to God first. We recognize his work. We remember his promises. We rest in his name.
Then it says, “always.” My husband answers his phone, “praise the Lord.” There were times he would get calls during the day when he worked nights. He’d be completely waking from a deep sleep, but no matter his answer was, “praise the Lord.” He didn’t accidentally say, “hello.” He trained himself when answering the phone to bless the Lord.
This is really an insignificant example showing that blessing the Lord is normative through practice, intention, and will. We must put into practice things we want to become habitual. We must put other things aside to become intentional toward things we want to be changed. And our will or “want to” is a part of this. The difference is that this is a lifestyle God commands; therefore, he empowers it. It’s better than a new habit to form. It’s Christlikeness being developed.
When we are practicing kingdom work, God works alongside us for our success. The only thing keeping you or me from blessing God is you and me. Today begin to bless the Lord. Make it intentional even when it seems awkward. It may be uncomfortable. Simply allowing his praises to be on your lips continually doesn’t have to come across as fake if it’s truly a heart cry of gratitude.
Blessing the Lord is simply acknowledging him for all of life, from the little to the large. After all, he’s blessing you; why not Bless the Lord in return. His blessing is his grace supplying our needs and taking care of him. Our blessing him remembers our life, and all we have are his gifts to us. That is what it is to Bless the Lord.
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