Blessing Upon Blessing

 

This morning I woke up to a frosty covering of snow on the ground. The world around me was white and peaceful and calm.  What a blessing! God had blessed me with one of my favorite things…snow!
This made me think about “blessing”.

I understand God as the one who blesses not man. He is the one with the storehouse of goodness and in His grace rains (and in this case, snows) those good things down on us.

I wondered… how can WE bless the Lord, isn’t He the One who blesses us… like He blessed me with snow?

 
Then why does David say in the Psalms…
 
bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is in me bless His holy name
 
The word “bless” comes from the ancient Hebrew word “BERAKHAH” (bra-KHAH’). This word is related to the Hebrew word for “knee” and the verb “to kneel”. The ancients had a wonderful everyday visual image for this word. “BERAKAH” is the action of a camel as he knees down (Genesis 24:11).
 
It carries the idea that when we “bless” the Lord we mentally and spiritually bow down on our knees and worship Him, acknowledging that He is the source of all blessings.
 
Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:20 that we should be…
 
“always giving thanks to God the Father for everything”.
 
This sounds like an overwhelming task … “to bless God for everything”.
 
 For the ancient Jews and the Jews of Jesus’ time “blessing the Lord” was entwined into their daily life. They would say a brief prayer honoring God as the source of everything good.
 
In Jesus’ time, these prayers began with “Blessed is He…” or “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe”.
 
They would bless God upon waking and bless God that each part of their bodies was working properly. They would bless God when they got dressed saying, “Blessed is He who clothes the naked”.
 
When they would see the change of the seasons, or new grass, or the flowers blooming on trees in the spring they would pray, “Blessed is He who did not omit anything from the world and created within it good creations… like the changing of the season, or this good new grass or good trees… for people to enjoy”.
 
 
When they would hear thunder it would remind them to thank God, “Blessed is He who’s strength and power fill the world”.
 
Praying in this way brought God close to them. He became a very center of their daily lives. It also reminded the Jews that God was good and the source of all blessings.
 
In good times and in bad they prayed.  When a happy, long awaited event like a wedding or a birth happened they would pray, “Blessed is He who has allowed us to live and sustained us and enabled us to reach this day”.
 
In times of grief, the Jews would bless God. They would spiritually bow their knee in worship. They would say, “Blessed is He who is the true Judge”.  This was a reminder that God would not let any bad deed or evil go unpunished. He IS the judge and has all things in His just hands.
 
We might think, Wow! that’s a whole lot of prayer! And we would be right.  In filling our lives with blessing the Lord, something miraculous happens! Our point of view changes and so does our attitude about almost everything… for the better!
 
When we bless the Lord… when prayer gets entwined in our daily lives we begin to see…
 
“THAT THE WHOLE WORLD IS FULL OF HIS GLORY”. Isaiah 6:3
 
We will see God’s presence everywhere… and see His bountiful hand in all things!
 
It also reminds us that He is keeping a watchful eye on us, like a loving parent watches over His precious child. It is a reminder that we are under His constant care!
 
“BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL: AND ALL THAT IS IN ME BLESS HIS HOLY NAME”!

Bless the Lord, for the beauty and wonder of the snow he provided this morning out of His love and goodness! Amen.
This week’s memorization verse…
 
“BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL: AND ALL THAT IS IN ME BLESS HIS HOLY NAME”!
 
 
 
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55 Comments

  1. Yvonne, This post resonates with me! My dear Mother gave me a wonderful gift-seeing the wonder and Blessings in all that our Heavenly Father has created!

  2. Anonymous says:

    Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy name!!!!!

  3. Yvonne, He is so worthy of all our praise! I awoke to the same beauty but without the same line of thinking. Especially when I had to walk the stray dog hubby brought home ugg so I thank you for this reminder:)

  4. Beautiful post, Yvonne. Thank you for allowing yourself to be an instrument of His peace. I love how you explained what blessing the Lord means in such a tangible way. May you be blessed today, sweet friend. Enjoy that beautiful snow your Father gave to you today.
    Blessings,
    Nici

  5. Yvonne,
    YOU, dear one, BLESS my heart and my soul this morning!!!
    Your continued faithfulness to Sunday Scripture is an ongoing blessing in my life!
    Since retiring, I find more time to verbalize my own BLESSings daily!!!
    Thank you for this post!!! I am BLESSed!!!
    Fondly,
    Pat

  6. make no mistake Miss Yvonne! You are a blessing to us and a blessing to God! I so enjoy reading your Sunday school lessons!

  7. Amen, and Amen. You have truly Blessed me today with this post.
    Thank you. I truly enjoy your Sunday posts.
    Pray without ceasing….
    Hugs, Gee

  8. Anonymous says:

    This puts a new perspective on “pray without ceasing” well done Yvonne, thankyou and bless and bless our dear Lord and Saviour!

  9. Beautiful posts! It is overwhelming when I thank God for all His blessings because there are absolutely too many to count! I really enjoy your Sunday Scriptures! Today I started a Sunday Bible Study and would love for you to stop by! Have a blessed week!

  10. I really like that phrase ‘Blessed is He…’ Reminds me of 1 Thess. 5:16-18 – ‘Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.’ This certainly is praying without ceasing… I’m your newest follower and rss subscriber… perhaps you’ll come visit when you have time.

  11. I look so forward to your devotions on Sunday, thank you for the wonderful virtual Sunday School lesson.

    Blessings,
    Mary L

  12. I love this post. The Lord is so sweet and precious to His children! He gave me snow this weekend, too! Your picture is just lovely!!
    Blessings,
    Leslie

  13. Thank you for this post, Yvonne. I have read and heard David’s words many, many times and wondered exactly what you asked – how can I bless God when He is the One who pours out the blessings??? I never fully understood until I today.

  14. Beautiful Post Yvonne,
    Amen!!!!!
    what a marvelous snow. one of the all Mighty God ‘s creation for human being.
    marvelous nature.
    have a nice week Yvonne

  15. Yvonne, you were the first thing on my mind this morning as I made coffee in the dark. We are snow covered here, with ice coming down this morning as well, causing us to miss church today. But I knew that I could spend time with both you and the Lord this morning reading your post. Usually I do this when I come home from church, but today, you are “the church”, a dwelling place in our hearts where we give thanks to God for all our blessings both great and small.

  16. Kristie Sams says:

    What a beautiful reminder of keeping our eyes on the Lord. I love the hebrew scriptures…..We also have the blessing of snow today. Thanks for this blessing today!

  17. Thank you so much for this reminder to be thankful in all things. I live in lower west Michigan where we usually have snow at least 5 month of the year. This year we have only had one snow in November and the rest have been wonderfully snowless. Every morning without snow I have thanked God for our beautiful landscape and clear roads. You’re lovely Sunday morning lesson reminded me that I must also thank on snowy days like today…for all that He gives is a blessing.

  18. Theresa at Winterberry Lane says:

    Each day I feel wonderfully blessed, to have God in my life.Thank you for today’s post Yvonne. I also,like Pslam 37:4 Take delight in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart.

  19. Gail Blankenship says:

    What a blessing your words are to me today! Thank you for your love of our mighty God! So glad you have snow. I’m in Alabama and my 6 yr. old Granddaughter has prayed for snow for the last 2 years. I’m looking forward to the snow whenever God’s timing is right. Bless you today my friend! Hope you have a wonderful day! Gail

  20. Lorraine Stonerock says:

    Thank You so much for this message. I will be sharing it with friends.

  21. Our mother said this verse from psalms all the time with such reverence. My sister and I had it engraved on her gravestone.

  22. Joey coleson says:

    Thank you for this beautiful reminder! God bless you.

  23. Ginny Ricci says:

    Yvonne, Thank you for your “faith words”….they are always so uplifting, and encouraging. Lord bless not only your life, but your ministry to those around you. Happy Day! Ginny

  24. Susan Knight says:

    Yvonne, thank you for this lovely spiritual thought. I think I am on the right path as I do thank our Heavenly Father in my own simple way for everything he blesses me with. I know that all of my many blessings come from Him. I sometimes sound like a broken record, and I don’t want my prayers to be rote, but heartfelt at the moment. But He is my Father, and I know He wants to hear from me as much as possible, as any father (or mother) would. Thank you for this beautiful reminder about blessing and thanking the Lord. And I love snow, too. I hear we’re in for a doozy of a storm tonight. Much love to you, friend . . . Susan

    1. HOW WONDERFUL to read your comment here Susan! God bless you, my friend!

  25. Thank you Yvonne for that wonderful message. Unlike your weather, ours is brilliantly sunny. BUT with that brilliance comes EXTREME cold. As the saying goes. This weather is not fit for man or beast. This severe cold is also a blessing from God because those bitterly cold days help destroy some very damaging insects. Our area is just beginning to experience the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Expectation is that hundreds of thousands of our beautiful shade trees will be lost to the borer. We might not be EAB free in spring but some of those insects will be destroyed by this cold weather. Thank you God for the blessing of cold which helps nature with damage control.

  26. Joan Moore says:

    Amen and Amen!!!
    Lovely and true words from you today.
    Always striving to live a “Thankful and Grateful” life for our Lord! Thank you for this beautiful reminder to Bless the Lord ALWAYS!!!

  27. Thank you so much for this post. I do not quote the bible often, what I try to do is life like Jesus did…in blessing the Lord, I try to live in a way that I can shine light on myself, my family and my community and strangers. Living as the Lord is blessing the Lord. God’s Peace. Hugs.

  28. Dianna Prather says:

    Like you, I also love snow! I appreciate the quietness that accompanies it. Thank you for sharing this beautiful scriptural message!

  29. What a wonderful post! I’ve dwelt onthis before but I could not recall. Thank you for this.

  30. Louise Adams says:

    Oh Yvonne, It is so nice to know someone else who loves snow. My family and friends all think I’m crazy, but to see the world covered with snow makes it even more beautiful. We were having a very mild winter, so I prayed to God the Father, Creator of all things, for snow and , boy, did He send it!

  31. Lora Bloomquist says:

    Loved this, Yvonne! My daughter’s going to ride a camel in Morocco this week on her school trip and I just shared the definition with her, so she could bless God for this wonderful adventure she is on!

    1. How fun for your daughter, Lora! And thanks for sending her this reminder!

  32. Teresa Wilson says:

    Thank you for this good word and wonderful reminder to bless the Lord because He is so good to us and so worthy. I love your heart and your design style. You are one of the blessings God has given me and so many others.

  33. Susan McCoy says:

    Thank you for this enlightening and challenging devotional. I will be looking for and recognizing more ways to bless the Lord!

  34. Sandra Stankowski says:

    Beautiful post!

  35. Yuvonne, thank you so much for a beautiful post!

    Have a wonderful day and enjoy your snow.

  36. Thank you for this beautiful reminder that we should always give thanks to our Father God who blesses us everyday. May God Bless You!

  37. Im so blessed every day ………..

  38. Bettyanne says:

    I too thank God for snow. It is a blessing indeed. I live in the south now but originally lived in New England and I love the snow. God is amazing all the time

  39. Donna B Oliphint says:

    Beautiful post! I love Psalm 103 and memorized it once years ago. Thank you for giving all of the blessing prayers. What a wonderful way to be reminded throughout the day of Who is in control and how much He loves us.

    Blessings…

  40. cmb_johnson@yahoo.com says:

    What a beautiful post! I love the practical application of how we can live with a continual focus on the LORD and in a state of worship. This made such an impact on me that I’m printing this post and tucking it into my Bible so I can remember it! Yvonne, I love how you are faithful to point to the LORD and weave your faith into your beautiful posts on design.

  41. Thank you , Yvonne, for broadening my biblical horizon…..Bless you.