A blessing is nothing to sneeze at….(titles are the hardest part of this gig)

Part of this setting apart week of Commemoration was traditionally a time of praying and asking God to show me ways to really celebrate a week…make a holiday feel to it, as it were. 

It is a very personal thing for me and kind of a mind set as if it were a birthday week of sorts. 

So this morning when I saw we still have pumpkin blossoms galore, I picked some before we left for our walk and made a special treat to go with an egg and sausage scramble. 

And yes, I will be posting random pictures of the experience to the praise and glory of God who grew those marvelous things in our side garden <3

Earlier I had been doing my quiet time and discovered several references in both of my morning prayer books that said, “Lord, I bless you because…” or “Lord, I bless your name for You are….”

What a twist. 

As Christians we tend to talk a lot about how blessed WE are. 

We bless others…when they sneeze or are having a moment or need prayer in a struggle. 

But I can’t say I comfortably say to God – “I bless You”

I confess, I feel funny saying I bless God and most likely its is because I do not understand what it is to bless and be blessed. 

I say He blesses me.

I confer blessing in His name on others. 

But how do I understand what it is to “bless His name” in prayer and praise?

As I look up the word “bless”, I see that it is to hallow or honor or praise another. To speak gratefully of someone. To be blessed is to be honored in worship. 

There is reference to a blessing or to be blessed as being a grace gift of heaven. 

So when I say I am “blessed” or when I ask blessing over someone else, I am speaking of this smaller meaning. 

But to bless God is to speak of His worth. 

To bless God is to praise Him and ascribe to Him the honor He is due. 

My Valley of Vision prayer read:

I bless You as the Source and essential attribute of my happiness and hope. 

And so today as I meditate on Isaiah 61:2 – 3, I bless the Lord for He has set me free. 

He has set me free from the prison of sin, darkness, pride, unforgiveness, rebellion and old patterns as surely as He set Israel free from the oppression of slavery in Egypt. 

I celebrate and I remember that in Christ I am a new creation.

And for this I bless the Name of the Lord <3