September 2, 2021 (Thursday)
Our hymn today is, “Stand Up and Bless the Lord.” “What does it mean that we can bless God? If God is perfect, how can we bless Him? To bless God simply means to praise Him or to honor His name. The Hebrew word translated “bless” in the Old Testament literally means to kneel, indicating the idea of honoring the Lord. We do not add anything to Him when we bless Him, yet we worship Him as our appropriate response to His greatness and His love for us.
“In the Psalms, we often find verses that speak of blessing the Lord. For example, Psalm 104:1 reads, ‘Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty.” Psalm 16:7 notes, “I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.’
“But does God desire for us to ‘bless’ Him? According to Scripture, He certainly does. From the earliest biblical accounts, God called people to honor Him through acts of worship. The Law of Moses instructed people to worship and bless the Lord. The Psalms are filled with commands to bless the Lord: ‘Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD! Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD!’ (Psalm 134:1-2). Psalm 135:19-20 adds, ‘O house of Israel, bless the LORD! O house of Aaron, bless the LORD! O house of Levi, bless the LORD! You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!’ (Quoted from “Compelling Truth.org.”).
STAND UP AND BLESS THE LORD
Words: James Montgomery
Music: Genevan Psalter, 1551; adapt. William Crotch
1824
Stand up and bless the Lord,
All people of His choice;
Stand up and bless the Lord your God
With heart and soul and voice.
Tho’ high above all praise,
Above all blessing high,
Who would not fear His holy name,
And laud and magnify?
O for the living flame
From His own altar brought,
To touch our lips, our minds inspire,
And wing to heaven our thought!
God is our strength and song,
And His salvation ours;
Then be His love in Christ proclaimed
With all our ransomed pow’rs.
Stand up and bless the Lord;
The Lord your God adore;
Stand up and bless His glorious name,
Henceforth forevermore.