The Inferior to the Superior?

The song that has been running through my head as of late is "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)" by Matt Redman. If you haven't heard it, please take a listen!



Scripture, especially the Psalms, repeats the saying "bless the Lord" many times. But wait, how can we, as sinful men, bless the Lord?

"It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior."--Hebrews 7:7

I get that. The Superior--God--blesses the inferior--us. I can see there everywhere I look. God is the Great Provider and Benefactor and gives us what we cannot provide for ourselves, and also what we do not deserve. He helps and strengthens us. God is so good!

But then how can we, as the inferior, bless the Lord? David's songs were full of those words, as are many of the praise songs that we sing today. I cannot help or strengthen God because He is the Helper and the One who provides us with strength. I cannot provide anything that He can't provide for Himself.

The saying, "bless the Lord" literally means, "You are blessed". Our acknowledgement of this does not somehow make God bigger or stronger, but is an act of worship-- of recognizing that he is worthy of praise. "Bless the Lord" is a statement of awe! It is recognition that He is the One who blesses.

So today, in the midst of your crazy life, take time to ponder what it means to "bless the Lord". Whether you are hurting or life is great, God is still good. A line in this song is, "for all Your goodness I will keep on singing". His goodness is not dependent on us.

I often play the "glad game" (from Polyanna) when I am down--finding something to be glad of in every situation. In the same way, we can find something to "bless the Lord" for in every situation. I know many of you are hurting, but we can bless the Lord always, may we never forget, for His Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love in sending His Son to the cross for each one of us. As we bless the Lord for all of His provisions in our daily life--food, water, shelter, family, friends, etc-- let us remember the greatest provision of all: forgiveness in the blood of Jesus! But really, there are 10,000 and more reasons to bless the Lord!

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." --Psalm 103:1-2