Summer in the Psalms - Psalm 145

When I Need God's Blessing

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What does it mean to be blessed?

It's a word we throw around a lot. People pass by and may offer a congenial, "How are you?" We may respond back with a "Too blessed to be stressed" or "Doing well, have a blessed day." Our email signatures may include something like "God bless!" and it's not that this is wrong or bad, but do we really understand what we're saying? Do we know what blessing is? Is blessing the absence of stress?

I have to agree with my friend, Becky Beresford - we tend to get a little confused on this one. Not intentionally, but confused nonetheless. Becky is sharing her reflection of Psalm 145 and helping us understand this foundational part of our faith better.

Becky Beresford lives in North Carolina and is happily outnumbered by her husband and three wonderful boys. She is an author, speaker and coach with a Master's Certificate in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship from Moody Theological Seminary. Becky loves encouraging God’s Daughters to embrace Christ-centered empowerment through the truth found in the gospel. Her work has been featured in large online communities including Proverbs 31 Ministries, DaySpring, Crosswalk, (in)courage, iBelieve, and HuffPost. Becky’s book with Moody Publishers, She Believed HE Could, So She Did, released last year.

Connect with Becky at BeckyBeresford.com and become a part of her Empowered Email Tribe or follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

It was only a few years ago that I realized I could bless God. Up until then, I would pray He would pour out His blessings on me, my loved ones, and those the Spirit brought to mind. However, as I’ve read Scripture more, passages like Psalm 145 made it clear blessing our Creator should precede the pursuit of being blessed.

Psalm 145 starts out saying,

I will bless you every day; I will praise your name forever and ever. - Psalm 145:2 CSB

To bless God every day means there is no exception, which for me, can be tricky. When life is wonderful and God’s gifts are apparent, I have no problem blessing Him. But what about the times when tears flow constantly? When hearts are worn thin from pain, grief and troubles? Can we bless God in the valley as much as we do from the heights?

I’ve had many harsh valleys in my life. Marital problems, health issues, leaving behind loved ones to pursue God’s calling, death in the family, financial strain, church hurt, relational rifts, the autistic meltdowns of special needs parenting – all have weighed heavy on my heart as I’ve asked God why He’s allowed specific situations and difficulties to occur, even when I’ve tried to follow Him faithfully. It doesn’t make sense. Logically, blessings and favor should follow those who remain faithful to Christ. Right?

As it turns out, this isn’t always the case according to Scripture. Take the story of Job, for example. In Job we see everything taken away from him. It’s a tough story to read because suffering is not something we want to focus on. Yet, all of us will experience some form of suffering in our lives. Job just happened to experience EVERY kind of suffering at once. What I find to be incredible is the way Job was honest with his consuming pain and grief, but He did not curse or deny God for the circumstances he endured. In fact, we see a recognition from a man who has been through the darkest of days, yet can declare

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. - Job 1:21 CSB

Job understood what it means to bless God in the dark valley, not just the light.

When things are going well and life is fragrant and fruitful, it’s easier to bless the Blessing-Giver. But I haven’t met a single person who says every day feels good. Some feel sorrowful. Some feel confusing. Some feel raw. And that’s okay. Jesus Himself promised we would experience trouble, that blessings and burdens will fall on the righteous and the unrighteous (John 16:33). But in the midst of burdens, He invites us to come to Him and trust in His tender care. Psalm 145 says,

The Lord is good to everyone; his compassion rests on all he has made. - Psalm 145:9 CSB

Again, there is no exception to the covering of Christ’s compassion, especially on the hard days.

The fact is, our earthly view of blessing doesn’t always align with God’s definition of being blessed. Jesus told His disciples the poor, weak, humble, mourning, persecuted and broken are blessed – not the list we would automatically curate when we think about being favored by God. But being blessed has much less to do with receiving favor than receiving more of the Father’s provision and presence. During the dark times, we experience the Lord in deeper ways and sense His steadfast comfort to the point where it changes us. We rely more on Christ and, in turn, become more like Him.

Friend, we have an honest choice to make. Will we bless God on the happy and hard days, during our hallelujahs and hardships? Like Job, will we say, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25), and then believe that He will live up to His name? We can be sure that His goodness and compassion will rest upon us, all the days of our lives.

Now, It's Your Turn!

I challenge you to take a moment to pray, then read or listen to Psalm 145 today. Think about what stands out to you. Consider writing down a statement of faith. It may help to think of this as an I-statement. Maybe yours is similar to Becky's:

I will bless the Lord for His character and faithfulness. Blessing my Creator will precede my pursuit of being blessed by Him.

Then, jot down a question to think about today. Maybe yours is similar to Becky's:

How can I bless God on the happy and hard days, during our hallelujahs and hardships?

May this reflection lead our hearts to gratitude and praise today and may we stand in victory against the tactics and schemes of the enemy.

And praise God for refreshment as we are intentional to spend a summer in the Psalms together, for if we want His truth to ever be on our lips, it must first be planted in our hearts.

Our strength grows as we rely on strength from above. Our joy grows as we see God transforming us from the inside out. Our peace grows as we spend time in God's presence, and we find rest when we intentionally seek the Lord first in our lives, for the Lord is ever our portion.

The good life, well it starts with a good day. Then another. Then another. Let's choose to live #TheGoodDay one day at a time.

I love hearing from you, so go ahead. Leave a comment. Be brave. Maybe your comment will speak life into someone else!

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