The king of Moab wanted Balaam to curse Israel, but he couldn’t. Balaam could only speak blessings as the Lord gave him words to say. In this passage we find that he blessed Israel by saying that they would flourish like a well-watered garden.

It’s important to occasionally think about all the ways God has blessed us. Even when life hurts, we have many blessings to thank God for. Here’s a way to use the word BLESS to count our blessings (­adapted from Alvin Vander Griend, HarvestPrayer.com):

B is for body. Thank God for physical health and the ability to walk, run, play, breathe, and think. Pray for people who can’t enjoy these things.

L is for labor. Praise God for jobs and income that help to meet your needs. Thank God for your employer and the people you work with.

E is for emotions. Thank God for joy, peace, contentment, and more.

S is for social. We are blessed with relationships. Thank God for parents, grandparents, siblings, children, friends, and all relationships in the church.

S is for spiritual. Thank God for all the gifts of salvation in Christ. Praise God for forgiveness, prayer, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the hope of eternal life.

May each of us learn to say, “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.”