How Blessed Are You?
We hear it all the time, don’t we? Especially among Christians you often hear the words “God bless you.”
They are great words, even if we don’t fully understand them or know exactly how God will bless those we
give the words to. So often we think of God’s blessings in terms of material or physical “good stuff,” right? Or
we think of God blessings in the way of success and health to a marriage, a pregnancy, or a surgery. The fact
is, these all are ways God does care for us and others giving us way more than we deserve. To wish God’s blessings, is simply to acknowledge the heart of God for His people in how He daily lavishes His goodness and
mercy upon us all.
This week’s psalm is written from the hand of King David; it is Psalm 32. David begins his prayer with these words acknowledging God’s underserved blessings upon him:
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
In these words, David realizes how blessed he is because he has a gracious God; the God who does not give what is deserved, but is dead set on giving what is not deserved – forgiveness, cleansing, and a wiping away of
debts earned.
The wonderful blessing in these words of David is that they are true for you too. You are just as blessed as King David. In Jesus, David’s blessings, and yours and mine, find their “amen.” We are forgiven – meaning God has
released us from the punishment we deserve for all the ways we have broken His law. Our sins are covered –meaning the blood of Jesus has cleansed us from the guilt and shame of our shortcomings. The Lord doesn’t count our sins against us – meaning the debt we owe that we have justly acquired has been paid in full by another, God’s son, Jesus Christ.
What did David do to receive this blessing? He didn’t do anything to earn or deserve it, but he did ask for it. He admitted the truth about his sins. He didn’t try to cover them up himself or somehow pay back what he
owed. No, he simply confessed what he knew to be true:
I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD";
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. (verse 5)
My dear friends, here lies the profound wonder and blessing of Christian worship. We come before God and admit what we know to be true, and God speaks the truth of His Word to us in Christ, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Have you noticed how Sunday’s service ends with a blessing? It does, and they are words given from God himself for His people. “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and be
gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace”(Numbers 6:24-26). These are not wishing words that hope God will bless you. No, they are words of fact that can be spoken in absolute confidence. God is blessing and keeping you; because of Jesus, you have a gracious God, and all the blessings of heaven are yours now and for eternity! You and I are blessed, indeed.
-Pastor Darrin Sheek
