Bless The Lord…

Morning!

Raises his cup of coffee

Every day, I will bless the LORD.

I will bless Him with my heart.

I will bless Him with my lips.

I will speak of the wondrous things He shows me.

I will bless the LORD forever.

This is the prayer I am considering this morning.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

“Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few.  For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words.  When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—better not to vow than to vow and not pay.”

We are taught not to be rash with what we say, and if we make a vow to God, we must be ready to fulfill it.

That’s why I’m carefully considering this morning’s prayer.

What does it mean to bless the LORD every day?

Because if I am to pray it—if I am to promise it—I must be ready to live it.

Matthew 5:33-37

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’  But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.   Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

If we abide in His Word and keep His commandments, then we know we know Him.

This is why I pause and carefully consider this prayer today.

Psalm 119:1-8

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD!  Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways.

You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently.

Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes!

Then I would not be ashamed, when I look into all Your commandments.  I will keep Your statutes: oh, do not forsake me utterly!”

Don’t misunderstand me—I am not looking to do the bare minimum to fulfill this prayer.

Instead, I am thinking through what it would take to live it daily—what actions would make this prayer real rather than just words.

And it starts with a simple question:

What does it mean to bless the LORD?