Answer
We are familiar with God’s blessings upon us, but what does it mean for us to bless the Lord? The phrases ‘bless the Lord’ and ‘bless God’ are found primarily in the Old Testament. The Psalms, especially, are filled with the psalmists’ blessings upon God. The King James Version uses ‘bless the Lord’ many times, but the more modern translations render it ‘praise the Lord.’ The Hebrew word translated ‘bless’ or ‘praise’ means literally ‘to kneel’, the implication being to kneel in worship.
Therefore, to bless the Lord means to praise Him, exalt Him, and worship Him. The Psalms are filled with blessings upon God for His counsel (Psalm 16:7), His holiness (Psalm 103:1), His dominion over all things (Psalm 103:22), His honor and majesty (Psalm 104:1). We offer Him our praise and blessings because He deserves them. Unlike God’s blessings upon us, which are wholly undeserved and by His mercy and grace, our blessing God is done out of an understanding that He is the true praiseworthy Creator and our heavenly Father.
God is glorified when we bless and praise and acknowledge Him. That acknowledgement comes in the form of praise, adoration, thanksgiving and love. That is what we were originally created for. However, no man can bless God in this way unless He is right with God for we read in Proverbs 28:9: 'If anyone turns a deaf ear to the Law, even his prayers are detestable.' It is only once we have been truly blessed by God in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:3) that we can bless God in return, in a manner that pleases Him.
