How Do You Count Your Blessings?

When things are good, it’s easy to say we are blessed. Or we see how things are good when we see everyone else’s blessings on social media.

But what is a blessing? Really?

A blessing “is a gift from God that glorifies His name, helps His people and through them reaches out to help others who will glorify His name. God blesses us that we might be a blessing to others.” (Warren Weirsbe, Be Worshipful: Glorifying God for Who He Is,” a study of Psalms 1-89.)

Psalm 67 talks about blessings from God. It is a short Psalm, only seven verses, but it has a powerful message.

May God be merciful and bless us.
May His face smile with favor on us.

May Your ways be known throughout the earth,
Your saving power among people everywhere.

May the nations praise You, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise You.

Let the whole world sing for joy,
because You govern the nations with justice
and guide the people of the whole world.

May the nations praise You, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise You.

Then the earth will yield its harvests,
and God, our God, will richly bless us.
Yes, God will bless us,
and people all over the world will fear Him.

The first verse asks God to be gracious to us and bless us.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites sang this song during worship. They asked God to continue showing them favor (to be blessed), but that other nations would also come to know God and worship Him. God had a purpose for Israel – to be a witness to the other nations.

“But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord.
“You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me,
believe in me and understand that I alone am God.
There is no other God—there never has been, and there never will be.
(Isaiah 43:10)

How were they to be witnesses?

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you?
He requires only that you fear the Lord your God,
and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and
serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees given to you today for your own good.
(Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

Following God’s directives, the nation of Israel would be continually blessed. By Israel’s example, other nations would see that there was no other god but Israel’s God. They would desire to be a part of God’s people, experiencing His salvation.

That is the purpose of this song that the Israelites sang long ago.

As Gentiles today (all people but the Jewish people), our gift of salvation comes from Christ’s death on the cross. By believing and accepting Christ, we have been given the same as the Israelites:

We are part of God’s chosen people;
We are now His witnesses to the rest of the world.

As Christians, we are also asked to obey the Lord, live in a way that pleases Him, love Him, and serve Him with all our hearts and souls. When we pray and trust Him, we can receive God’s blessings.

However, here is the crucial part – He will provide what we need, and in turn, we are to use those blessings to help others. The world will witness what we have and that God cares for us. This opens up opportunities for us to tell others about Jesus.

That has made me think: “What are my blessings from the Lord that are meant to be shared?”

1.  Time.  Because I do not work a full-time job, I can use my extra time doing this – writing to help others. I can also volunteer where others don’t have time to.

2.  Creativity. Besides my writing, I love to create with paper, making handmade cards that can encourage others.

3.  Stewardship. Being frugal with our household needs, I have extra to share with others, through charities and other means.

What blessings do you share with the world?
Or how can you share your gifts better?

---

Disclosures: Scripture references are from the New International Version and are linked to BibleGateway for the reader’s convenience.