Bless the Lord – The Presidential Prayer Team

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. – Psalm 34:1

What does it mean when the psalmist says he will bless the Lord? Many of David’s psalms start or end with the exhortation to his own soul to bless the Lord. In Hebrew, the word “bless” means to honor and increase. Though God is all-sufficient, you can bless Him by magnifying and glorifying Him. This may be accomplished through worship and praise – coming into His presence with gratitude.

Theologian John Piper says that when David says “Bless the Lord,” he is saying that authentic speaking about God’s goodness and greatness must come from the depth of his soul. Christ Jesus was very aware of blessing the Lord, praising Him from the inner being. In Matthew 15:8, he said, ”This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”

You bless the Lord in your worship. You bless Him when you remember the things that God has done, and you bless Him also by seeking to do His will. He is blessed by you when you speak of Him to others.

Does your soul need reminding today of the things God has done for you, of the things He is currently doing, and of things yet to come? Pray for members of America’s military who may need reminding that God cares for them in every circumstance and to come before Him with hearts of praise.

Today’s Verse: Psalm 34:1

I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Recommended for further reading: Psalm 34

I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
²My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
³Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together!

⁴I sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.
⁵Those who look to him are radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.
⁶This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
    and saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷The angel of the Lord encamps
    around those who fear him, and delivers them.

⁸Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
⁹Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack!
¹⁰The young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

¹¹Come, O children, listen to me;
    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
¹²What man is there who desires life
    and loves many days, that he may see good?
¹³Keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from speaking deceit.
¹⁴Turn away from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
    and his ears toward their cry.
¹⁶The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
    and delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
    and saves the crushed in spirit.

¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
²⁰He keeps all his bones;
    not one of them is broken.
²¹Affliction will slay the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
²²The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
    none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.