Bless God
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Sometimes words become so commonplace that we lose any sense of what they really mean. Words that become familiar lose their teeth, their vibrancy, their impact. “Love” is a good example. Somehow I can say “I love tacos” and “I love the Lord;” “I love this cup of coffee” and “I love my friends.” How can the same word be used for all of these things? Some of it, surely, is merely a function of culture and how we use our words, and that is okay. But there are times when words relating to spirituality lose so much of their meaning and we use them so thoughtlessly that it affects our life with God. I believe that “blessed” is one of those words. We are so familiar with it that we struggle to define it. We would do well to recover what Holy Scripture means when it uses the word blessed, or bless, or blessing. The Psalms give us ample opportunity for this work of retrieval.
Over and over again, the psalmists write of the blessing that comes from life with God. In Psalm 1, the blessed man is the one who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night. The one whose sins are forgiven is blessed according to Psalm 32. Psalm 62 says that the one chosen by the Lord is blessed. According to Psalm 65, the one who dwells near to God is blessed. Those who are taught by the Lord are blessed in Psalm 94. Psalm 84 says that those who dwell in the house of God, those whose strength is in God, who trust in God, are blessed. Psalm 84 also says that those who have the highway to God’s dwelling place in them are blessed.
One translation of blessed means “satisfied, fulfilled, happy.” Blessed people are those who are happy as they delight in God’s word, whose sins are forgiven, who find their strength in God. This certainly doesn’t mean that life isn’t full of hardship or trouble, sorrow or trial. But those moments reveal where we truly find our happiness. Is it in God Himself, or in the things that come from Him? Is it in God or in the way that He makes us feel? The “blessed” one in the Psalms is one who is happy in God even in the midst of difficulty. They are like a tree planted by streams of water that bear fruit in every season, and their leaves don’t wither in drought (Psalm 1).
This is one way to understand the word “blessed.”
It is also used as a verb, not just as an adjective: “bless the Lord;” “the Lord bless you and keep you.” This translation means something like “to kneel, to adore, to cause to kneel, or to praise.” If it’s true that our sins have been forgiven, if it’s true that God gives us counsel (Psalm 16), if it’s true that He has heard our pleas for mercy (Psalm 28), if it’s true that He has wondrously shown His steadfast love (Psalm 31), then we should praise the Lord and kneel before Him. Calling to mind our blessedness (adjective) leads us to blessing (verb) the Lord who has done these great things for us.
The words of this song help us to remember that the adjective “blessed” truly does fit those who are in Christ even when things are painful, which, in turn, helps us to “bless” God as we worship Him.
Happy are those who walk with Him.
Happy are those who find their confidence in Jesus.
They will never be forsaken. Those who look to Him are radiant and their faces will never be put to shame.
Happy are those who bow their knee before the Lord.
Happy are those whose hearts are set on journeying with Jesus.
They will see His glory. He has promised that if we seek Him with our whole heart we will find Him.
If we really have been blessed with the love of God in Christ Jesus then, in the sanctuary (in God’s presence), we can bless the Lord. In the fields of plenty or the darkest valley, we can bless the Lord. When we have nothing left, when worship is costly, in our moments of solitude, we can bless the Lord. When it seems that weapons are forming against me, when my life seems to be crumbling, we can bless the Lord.
The victorious God has blessed us with His indwelling Holy Spirit. The victorious God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus our Lord. When we call to mind all that God has done for us, even when the floor is falling out or when we experience a fruitful and peaceful season, we will have a reason to bless the Lord. Every moment becomes a moment to remember Him. Which means that every moment becomes a chance to bless Him.
So, for who He has been, for who He is, for who He promises to be, for the way that the adjective “blessed” really is true of us, let’s join together in blessing the name of the Lord.
