bless the LORD

so my Scripture reading today had me in psalm 134-136. they can kinda be summed up like this: 134 - bless the LORD. 135 - praise the LORD. 136 - give thanks to the LORD (for His steadfast love endures forever).

the last two are pretty straightforward, but the one that gave me pause is the first one, "bless the LORD." i was struck by the question, "how can i bless the LORD?" who am i to bless the God of the universe? what is it that He could need from me?

well, i decided to do a bit of digging... seems the hebrew word is "barak" (which is a great help if you know hebrew). the common english translation is "to bless, to kneel." that is a little helpful... part of my following through on this command is the concept of kneeling - an acknowledging of subordination and servanthood.

but i kept thinking about that word "bless." it's one of those words that i can toss around and use contextually, but do i really know what it means? hence, dictionary.com came in handy. here's what i found: "to honor as holy, to glorify: bless the LORD."

still a lot more thinking and meditating to do, but it's a definite start... me blessing Him is about proper placement. "He must become greater, i must become less." oh LORD, be foremost in my thoughts today that i might honor and glorify YOU through everything that i do!

oh, and another thought...

the glorious colors of spring: what a vivid celebration of new life after the bleakness and death of winter! how cool is it that God puts pictures of eternal reality into every part of creation?

Creator God, creative God

what a great day to be out driving around taking in the sights (except for the cost of gasoline...)! on our way up the river to pittsburgh, it was amazing to see all the brilliant colors... dogwoods - pink and white, the blazing yellow of forsythia, the bright purple of lilacs, azaleas beginning to bloom in various shades and other trees and shrubs i don't have the slightest idea of their names all in glorious brilliance...

oftentimes, i have wished that i was more artistic than i am... my eyes take in the sunset, but my box of crayons falls short of capturing it on paper... i see the vast african plains and wildlife, and my camera tells but a small bit of the story... so when i DO see someone who has more art skills than me, who CAN communicate some of the granduer, i am highly impressed and appreciative...

FAR greater, beyond the skill of the artist who can recreate the beauty of what is, is the skill of the Artist who created originally... who thought of the orange of sunsets and the fading of the blue into black of night, who spoke colors into existence in trees and flowers and shrubs, who uses a wider range than even the largest crayola box... HE is the one worthy of all praise, HE is the one to be awed at and worshiped - today i was reminded... praise You God for color!