Psalm 103:1-2, Deuteronomy 8:10, Judges 5:2, 1 Chronicles 29:19-20, Nehemiah 9:5, Psalm 104:1, Matthew 26:7

Glyn Barrett unpacks why and how we should bless the Lord

Glyn Barrett

'Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all his benefits.' Psalm 103:1-2

God invites us to bless him. God doesn't need our blessing, God asks us to because WE need to bless him. God loves his people; it is revealed to us continually throughout the Bible. Psalm 103 goes on to list the ways God benefits us, heals all, redeems all and forgives all. God invites us to bless him for our own benefit.

How can we bless the Lord?

1. Bless the Lord in good times and in bad times

'When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless your God for the good land he has given you.' Deuteronomy 8:10

People say its easy to bless God in good times, but is it? In 19 years of being a pastor, I have discovered amazingly how often people reach a place of success and forget who ushered the success into their life in the first place. Everything we have, we have it because God gave it to us. When did you last bless God for your family? When did you last bless God for your church? When did you last bless God for your friends? In seasons of increase and success, it can not take long before inner pride trips us up and we start thinking, 'Look how good I am, look what I have achieved'! In good times we need to bless the Lord and realise that we have what we have because the Lord gave it to us! Thank him and praise him for what is good in your life.

What about when its tough? Some people only worship God in a demonstrative way when things are going good. But what about when you have had the week from hell and everyday is just worse than the one before it! That's the moment to come to church and say, 'Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me. Bless his holy name'. In whatever circumstance, our first instinct should always be to bless the Lord. Thank God for what is good in your life amongst the bad. Having a negative attitude shuts the valve of spirituality in your life that God longs to pour into. We need to be blessed with what we have got rather than always hankering for more.

2. Bless the Lord by living out your calling

'When leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer themselves, bless the Lord.' Judges 5:2

In Jeremiah the Lord declares, 'I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope'. When you discover what God's divine purpose is for you and you begin to live out that divine purpose, you are blessing God. I get joy as a pastor, watching people live out their divine destiny. I didn't just stumble into this job, but have a sense that God called me for such a time as this. Whatever you do, whether it be crunching numbers or running a business, as you live out the calling on your life, you bless him. That's why the gospel of Matthew says with everything you do, do it as though you are doing it unto God. You're not just doing it to pay the bills, save for retirement, or fill the hours in the day. Do it because you sense a divine calling.

3. Bless the Lord with future prospects

'"And give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep your commandments and your testimonies and your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the temple for which I have made provision." Then David said to all the assembly, "Now bless the Lord your God." So all the assembly blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king.' 1 Chronicles 29:19-20

Before you take a new job, before you step into a new relationship, before you take on a new endeavour, take a moment to stop and bless the Lord. When you stop and bless the Lord and tell God you're doing it for his glory, you bring God into it. You are no longer doing it for the sake of it, you're doing it as you want to know what it is to walk out his divine calling on your life. Bless God, invite him in and he can speak to you. Don't run blind into something new. We only have what we have in the first place because God has blessed us with it, so honour God by remembering him first and foremost.

4. Bless the Lord by standing up