Bless the Lord
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1
How can we "bless" God? It is through our praise that we can bless God, according to the key verse.
Our prayers aren't just about asking God for favor or blessings, although God delights in blessing us. We can bless God by praising Him for who He is. Children express their appreciation and adoration to their parents, which is sure to bring a lot of joy to their parents. This is just as we praise and give thanks to our heavenly father because our praise can touch God's heart.
David's prayer in 1 Chronicles 29 is a powerful prayer when he led the people to bless the Lord ”. When we run out of "praising vocabulary" or don't know how to praise, we can look at 1 Chronicles 29:10-20 for examples.
There are a number of attributes David praises about God in verse 10-11, including "Greatness", "Power", "Glory", "Majesty", "Victory", etc. Whatever God's characteristics and goodness to you come to mind, thank Him. I found it helpful to praise God by using Hebrew names such as "Jehovah Jireh, Raphe, Shalom, etc)
A more specific praise and thanksgiving is offered in verses 12 and 13. David publicly praised that riches and honor come from God and His hands have power and give strength to us. Let the Spirit highlight the attributes that you would like to praise in our own prayer.
In verses 14-17, David proclaims, "All things come from God". Without humility, we can't praise God wholeheartedly. Perhaps David never forgets that God brought him from a shepherd boy to a king. Our human nature is prone to praising ourselves for our good works and self-righteousness. We need to humble ourselves before God in order to marvel at his graciousness, as David demonstrates in his prayer pattern.
Verse 18-19, David prays that future generations will continue to follow God, especially his son Solomon. Since God loves to see blessings continue to be extended throughout generations, we should pray and bless the future generations, whether they are our own children, or younger generations.
Verse 20 David concludes by calling the people to praise God, bowing their heads and prostrating themselves. This is a sign of deep worship and surrender to God, a total submission to Him . Praise brings joy to God and strengthens our faith when we bless God through it. Let us bless the Lord at all times!
Blessing prayer: I will always bless you for praising who you are. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess Jesus is Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen
