Daily Reading: Psalm 66-69
Psalm 66:8
O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
This is the only place the phrase bless our God is used in Scripture. You can bless the Lord God. Usually it is the other way around. We ask Him to bless us, but here we are encouraged to bless Him. How can we bless our God?
With our tongue. Yes, while speaking of the tongue James 3:9 records: Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Notwithstanding the lesson from James on guarding our tongue, this verse tells us that with our tongue we can bless God. When we praise Him, sing of Him, uplift Him in word, and speak glowingly of Him we bless Him. Even today’s verse alludes to using the tongue to bless God by saying…make the voice of his praise to be heard. In this writer’s estimation that is our voice praising Him with words heard by others.
In Luke 1, upon the birth of John the Baptist, Zacharias (his father) said: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed this people. He blessed God with his tongue. In Luke 2, when Simeon saw Jesus, as the Holy Ghost revealed to him beforehand that he would, he took the Lord up in his arms and…blessed God with his voice, his tongue. Then, in Luke 24:53 it is written that upon seeing Jesus ascend into heaven the disciples returned to Jerusalem and while in the temple continued…praising and blessing God. This verse, Luke 24:53 is the last verse of the Gospel according to Luke. The very last word is Amen. It reads like this: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. The word Amen means “so be it”. Therefore, we can conclude that God’s people, in the house of God especially, but everywhere else also, are to continually praise and bless God. Amen.
So let us also, make sure to: Bless our God by praising Him with our words.
Until tomorrow, live for Christ today.
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