Faithful on Fridays Blog

God created us to worship and songs from scripture can be sung, absolutely, but they’re also divine poetry to be read aloud. There are times when we run out of words in prayer and songs from the Bible can be our springboard.

Moses knew it:

Then Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished, in the ears of all the assembly of Israel. Deuteronomy 31:30

Deborah knew it:

Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day. Judges 5:1

Hannah knew it:

And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.” 1 Samuel 2:1

David knew it:

And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 Samuel 22:1

Mary knew it:

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” Luke 1:46-47

And John knew it:

“And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!” Revelation 15:3

In this series I’ll present various Hebrew words God used to stretch our understanding of what it really means to worship.

Our word for this week is barak which translates to bless and since it’s used 450 times in the Bible; it’s significant. David encourages us through his Psalms or songs to barak the Lord. I believe the reason he used it so often was the aspect of humility. Barak means to kneel or bow, whether physically or spiritually, before God giving Him His rightful place in your life. When you bless the Lord you’re saying, “God, You’re higher than I am, You’re greater than I am, You’re more powerful than I am. Without You, I am nothing.” Can you say that? Giving God the recognition, praise, and honor He deserves keeps you low and places Him high in your opinions. David had a tumultuous life, ups and downs like crazy, however, the character trait that God honored was his humble heart. He blessed the Lord and taught his people well.

Then David said to all the assembly, “Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and to the king.” 1 Chronicles 29:20

Let’s be proactive this week and use the word bless in our times of worship and prayer remembering that crucial aspect of humility. David’s songs are written to help us learn to bless the Lord; try them this week: Ps. 16:7-8, 26:11-12, 34:1-3, 63:4, 96:1-2, 103:1-2, 20-22.