When you ask the Lord to bless you, what exactly are you looking for? Are you asking for good health, or financial prosperity, or success in some endeavor? Well, the blessing of the Lord may include such things – but in truth, it’s a lot more than that!
The Psalms have long been a source of comfort and joy for the people of God. They address every human emotion and every human need in a way that puts God at the center of life. Now the thing I find especially interesting about the Psalms is how they begin. Psalm 1 starts out by telling us how a person can be truly blessed of God. Verse 1 says, “Blessed is the man.” Then the rest of the Psalm goes on to tell us what that man does and what that man doesn’t do, in order to be blessed of God. It says,
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
Now that’s how the whole book of 150 Psalms begins. It begins by telling us how we can be blessed of God.
The word “blessed” is a Hebrew interjection that could be translated “how happy” – “How happy is the man.” It comes from a root verb that means “to be straight or level.”
So the idea is that this guy has life on the right path. His way is straight and true. Therefore, he will ultimately prosper in what he does. And that’s why he is a happy man. Not that everything in his life is perfect; but he knows that life is on the right track. He’s where God wants him to be, and he’s doing what God wants him to do. Therefore, he is a blessed man.
You see, true blessing is knowing that you are in the good keeping of God’s hands. It is where you are that matters – not what you get. The blessed person is the person who is in the center of God’s will.
Now you know the real meaning of the word. Remember – the blessing of God is much more than health, wealth and prosperity. It is the confidence that God is well-pleased with your life.