The Berean Call Podcast

“Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!”

—Psalm 103:1

What does it mean to “Bless the Lord”? What does it mean to “bless”? The latter is a bit easier to define than the former, but when it comes to definitions, especially of terms that relate to Scripture, I like to see how the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary (accessible online) defines it. Nearly all of the explanations given there for “bless” and “blessed” include examples of their use from the Bible (Genesis 2:3; 28:3; Deuteronomy 15:4; 33:11; Psalm 103:1; Jeremiah 4:2; Luke 9:16; Revelation 14:13).

It used to be that if I wanted a confirmation of what Dave Hunt and I were writing regarding the spiritual changes we observed taking place in the US and, more specifically, in Christendom, I’d talk to missionaries who had returned home on furlough after spending a couple of years ministering overseas. Many were quite shaken by what had transpired here in their absence, especially in their local churches. Among the changes they saw were the strong influences of so-called Christian psychology, the Purpose Driven and seeker-sensitive approach to church growth, militant Calvinism, Replacement theology with its tendency toward anti-Semitism, the Contemplative movement, the Hebrew Roots movements, the Emerging Church movement, kingdom dominionism, etc. Some found themselves in situations in which they had to decide whether or not they could continue fellowshipping in the church that had sent them into the mission field and was their primary support. “Heartbreaking” only partially describes their reactions.