Psalm 28 Part Six We are coming now to the conclusion of this psalm, and we shall learn about the proper way to conclude our supplication to the Lord. There is a prayer that God will hear and accept; there will be an answer to this prayer. We see in the conclusion of David’s prayer positive affirmation, testimony and praise. Do we conclude our prayers in the same way? 6 Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The word “bless” is a religious term with a great depth of meaning, but unfortunately, religious people tend to use the word lightly with scarcely a thought about its meaning. Without referring to any dictionaries, I would like to express what this word means to me. To bless is to provide those things which are necessary for someone’s happiness and wellbeing. The blessing is an abundant provision of something necessary for my happiness and wellbeing, such that I am no longer troubled by the possibility of lacking it in the future. To be blessed is to receive whatever is necessary for my happiness and well being in such a measure that I am satisfied and contented. People have material needs, psychological needs and spiritual needs. If these needs are not met, people cannot be happy and contented. Material needs include food, clothing and shelter, as well as a means to bathe and do laundry. Money usually buys the provision for these needs. Psychological needs include rest, safety or security, acceptance in a social circle or community and some kind of rational order in one’s life, such as a daily routine. Spiritual needs include the need for God’s love and forgiveness, a God to believe and hope in, an assurance that material and physical needs will be met and an experience of a living fellowship and union with God by the Holy Spirit. To be blessed is to feel no want for any of these things, since you have received it all in abundance. In Hebrews it is explained that the lesser is blessed by the greater. The example given is that of Melchisedek blessing Abraham after his return from a battle with enemy kings. Abraham was truly the friend of God because of his great faith in God. Yet, Melchisedek was the priest of the Most High God, after whose order Christ Himself is a Great High Priest. Abraham brought tithes to Melchisedek, while Melchisedek presented Abraham with bread and wine, the emblems of Communion with Christ. Melchisedek blessed Abraham, since he was greater than Abraham. What is meant then by the Biblical expression that we find in this verse, “Blessed be the Lord”? We do not literally bless the Lord in the sense that we have been speaking of. Rather, it is He who blesses us. We are the lesser, while He is the greater. He is the fountain of all our blessings. We are able to provide nothing that is necessary for His existence, while our existence depends totally on His good will and pleasure. He is the provider of all of our needs. At the same time, we were created for a purpose. God is pleased, if we fulfill our purpose, and He is displeased, if we do not fulfill our purpose. In this way God has condescended to “need” us, since His pleasure now depends on how we live our lives. Surely, He could have been content without our existence, but He chose to create us for fellowship with Himself. Now He “needs” us to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. To “bless the Lord” or to pronounce blessing as a manner of praising Him is to acknowledge that He is worthy that we should live to please Him. David wrote in another psalm, “Bless the Lord, o my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name.” To bless the Lord is to strive to please the Lord with “all that is within me.” To bless His name is to live in a way that glorifies and brings honor to His name and reputation. How can we do this in a practical way? First we obey His commandments. He says, “Come unto me…” How often do you go to Him? He says, “Believe in Me…” Do you always put your trust in His words? He says, “Rejoice evermore.” Can you always find a reason in Him to rejoice? He says, “In everything give thanks.” Are you grateful to Him for being the fountain of all your blessings, and do you often express your gratitude? David says “Blessed be the Lord” in this verse, because the Lord has already blessed him by hearing his supplication. By faith he considers that the prayer has been heard; he knows God will honor His word. In truth we could never “bless the Lord”, if He had not blessed us first. You simply cannot give something that you do not have. For example, God could not offer us safety and security, if He Himself felt threatened. He could not offer us rest, unless He had rested on the seventh day. He loves us, simply because He is love. The Lord is indeed the most blessed Being in the whole universe. Therefore, He is the fountain of our blessing. As we affirm by faith that our prayer shall be heard, let us acknowledge the blessedness of our Lord, which enables Him to so abundantly bless us. When we think of the blessings that the Son of David has offered us by His earthly life, we have every cause to bless Him, or to acknowledge His blessedness. How is it that He could forgive our sins? It is because He took our sins upon Himself and conquered them by the power of His own Blood. Since He is now free from our sins, which were put upon Him, He can give us the same freedom. How is it that He can heal us? He received 39 stripes from a whip across His back, thus taking our sicknesses upon Himself. Being now healed from our sicknesses, He is well able to heal us today. How can He fill us with His Spirit? Is it not because He has received the Holy Spirit without measure? He is able to fill every human being on the planet with His Spirit and not have less power after doing so. He can bless us, since He has received such blessings for our sakes. Now as we receive these blessings, let us bless Him by acknowledging His greatness and blessedness. The entire meaning of blessing the Lord, as David suggests, is contained in the experience of receiving the blessings of the Lord, while acknowledging His superior blessedness. This is what is pleasing to the Lord, the pleasure that satisfies His heart. Shall we not let Him be a Father to us? Shall we not let Him be a Savior to us? Shall we not let Him be the source of all our blessings? Yes, let us bless the Lord, since He has already provided for our blessing. Let us receive what He offers and return thanks to Him. Does God really “need” this from us? Well, He does want to give, and that “want” must be satisfied. We will not be happy or contented, until He is happy and contented. He is truly blessed to see that we receive His blessing, and that we can appreciate it by truly expressing gratitude for it. Let us bless the Lord, for He has heard our supplication.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Sep 2013 09:23:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015