On Blessing God

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits (Psalm 103:1-2).

We are forever asking God to bless us. We ask him to bless our families, our meals, and our many plans and endeavors. Bless us, O Lord is without a doubt one of the most frequent and popular of prayers. But the psalmist has a different outlook. He doesn’t ask God to bless him; rather, addressing his own soul, he reminds himself to bless God.

But how can a mere mortal bless God? What can we give to the Creator of Heaven and Earth?

Just as the smallest child can bless its parents, so also we can bless our Heavenly Father. Each one of us has unique gifts to offer God: our love, our gratitude, and our praise. When we offer these gifts to God we are blessing the Lord.

It’s all well and good that we seek God’s blessing on our lives and endeavors. Indeed, it’s imperative that we do so. But let us never forget the psalmist’s exhortation to bless the Lord with all that s within us.