What does it mean to “bless the Lord?” How can we finite beings perform any action that would result in blessing the Infinite? When we bless each other, we are essentially asking for God to place His divine favor upon one another. So how are we to understand blessing God? This is important to ponder because we are called to “bless the Lord” in the psalms. Therefore, we should look to the psalms for an understanding of “blessing the Lord.”
Psalms 103 and 104 are a good place to start. Both of these psalms open and close with the words “Bless the Lord, O my soul.” One can safely conclude that what is described throughout these two psalms is closely related. Here are a few pointers to help us purposefully “bless the Lord.”
Blessing the Lord involves describing the various graces God has bestowed upon us in our salvation (103:1-5, 10-13).
Blessing the Lord involves meditating on the wondrous attributes of God (103:6-9).
Blessing the Lord involves recounting the providential ways God especially cares for His children (103:14-19).
Blessing the Lord involves calling on all creation to join in praising His name because He is worthy of all praise (103:20-22).
Blessing the Lord involves listing all of the various miracles of God in the acts of creation and providence because these distinctly set Him apart from every other god as the true God (104).
Basically, to “bless the Lord” is to acknowledge, proclaim, and rejoice in the character of God, His mighty acts, and His grace to us in Christ with thankful, worshipful hearts. Tell your soul often, “Bless the Lord!”
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