Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
“Why do we say ‘bless the Lord’ when He is the one who blesses us? This question came in from a theological student in the developing world. He was having trouble wrapping his head around the idea, for good reason. It’s a tough question. But our Psalm for this week leads us straight to the idea in Psalm 113:2, “Blessed be the name of the Lord” (ESV).
Yes, certainly, God is the one who blesses His people. Every good gift comes from Him. But our appropriate response is to sing God’s praises. Here, in this context, to bless God means to speak well of Him. We describe the fact that He is the God of all blessing. He is perfect in power, in wisdom, in glory. He is the one who is exalted above all else (vv. 4-6) so we acknowledge his exaltation. He is the one who cares for the poor (v. 7). We praise him for his goodness. He cares for widows and others who cannot raise up a family, providing for their needs. We bless the Lord when we acknowledge His ability to nurture His people.
As a closing note, I will simply observe that we acknowledge and proclaim God’s blessing as we also act as His instruments to bless those around us. Do we love and serve our neighbors? Do we lay down our lives for others? In this we are showing how God works. We are showing His blessing to others.
Come, let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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