Something I read this morning left me pondering this question: Can mere humans bless God?
During my quiet time I read from the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. Sarah writes in first person, as if God Himself were speaking to you. Here’s what spurred my heart to think : “When you commune with Me in the garden of your heart, both you and I are blessed.” (page 259)
An excerpt from my prayer journal entry this morning:
Lord, I guess it was the “I” part of “both you and I are blessed” that made me think. Lord, I know you bless me and bless my heart, but I’ve never given much thought on whether I bless your heart. So, Lord I ask “Can mere humans bless God?” Surly the creation is not greater than the Creator. Can creation (me) bless the heart of the Creator (you)?
To answer these questions I had to understand and define the word “bless” beyond what I think I knew.
Bless: (verb)
-Make holy by religious rite
-Invoke divine favor upon
-To honor as holy; glory
-Confer with well being or prosperity
-To endow with talent
-To worship or adore God
Bless phrases:
-Bless you! (traditional phrase after sneezing)
-Bless me or God Bless my soul (phrase of exclamation of surprise)
-Blessing in disguise (phrase when something proved to be fortunate after seeming unfortunate)
Bless comes from an Old English word “bletsian” meaning to “consecrate with blood.”
In Hebrew, bless is translated from the word “barakh” which is related to the Hebrew word “knee” (berekh)-implying an association between humbling ourselves and receiving personal blessings from Him.” (John Parsons www.hebrew4christians.com)
Again, I ask…Can mere humans bless God? Yes! By giving glory and honor to God. By taking a knee and humbly recognizing God as Sovereign ruler, Creator, and the Most High God. By adoring God in worship. By recognizing that Jesus was a blessing in disguise! He was God in human form, born by Mary in a feeding trough, the Messiah! By appreciating in the garden of our heart (as Sarah Young stated) the power and significance the Old English word “bletsian”. Jesus took our sin to the cross, his blood consecrated our salvation (bletsian).
As I humbly take a knee (berekh) to give glory and honor to God, I praise Him for sending Jesus as a blessing in disguise! My praise and action bless God’s heart!
“This is what is written: Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name in all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem…I am going to send to you what my Father promised (the Holy Spirit)…then He lifted up his hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, the was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him with great joy! And they stayed continually at the temple praising and blessing God!” (Luke 24:46-53)
~April
“Bless the Lord O my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name.” Psalms 103:1
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