Bless The Lord

“And David said: Blessed be Thou, Lord God of Israel, our Father forever and ever. Thine O lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory and the victory; and the majesty: for all that is in Heaven and in the earth is Thine. Thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as head above all.

Both riches and honor come from you; and Thou reignest over all. In Thine hand is power and might; and in Thine hand is the ability to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name.” (1Chron.29:10-13)

This passage, one of my favorites, is so beautiful that there is not much I can say to enhance it. It speaks volumes about God – Who and what He is. It is only recently that I understood what it means to “bless God”- I always thought of God as the One who was doing the blessing. But this passage and Psalm103 (also by David) make it clear how we should bless the Lord. I am also only now seeing the connection between what David says in Chronicles and Psalm 103 and how Jesus taught us to pray. The first few lines of the Lord’s Prayer deal with exactly what David is saying to God. Jesus taught us to pray by first recognizing Who and what God is. The words “hallowed be Thy name” incorporate almost every idea expressed by David here and in the psalm.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul…” As Christians we are told to bless the Lord. In doing so, we foster a deeper appreciation and adoration of God. We will become more grateful and obedient to God, and much more…. Let us bless the Lord!

- Al Jones