Scripture:"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!" – Psalm 103:1 (ESV) A Call to Bless God in Every Season The song Bless God, arranged by Travis Cottrell, is an anthem of worship and surrender, calling us to bless the Lord in every season of life. It echoes the heart of Psalm 103, where David reminds his soul to praise God—not based on circumstances, but because God is always worthy. The lyrics speak of blessing God in the sanctuary and the fields of plenty but also in the darkest valleys and when our hands are empty. This is the essence of true worship—praising God not just in abundance but in the waiting, the struggling, and even in suffering. Blessed Are Those Who Trust in Him The first verse reminds us of the promise that those who run to Jesus, seek His face, and fix their gaze on Him will not be shaken. In a world that constantly shifts, this assurance is an anchor for our souls. When we choose to fix our hope on Jesus, we are choosing stability, security, and peace that surpasses understanding. "Blessed are those who seek His face, who bend their knee and fix their gaze on Jesus, they won't be shaken." Have you placed your hope in Christ today? If the storms of life are shaking you, take a moment to re-center your focus on Him. He is your firm foundation. A Pilgrim's Heart The second verse calls us to walk with God on the journey of faith, setting our hearts on pilgrimage. To be a follower of Jesus means to embrace a journey—not always easy, but always leading us to His glory. "Blessed are those who walk with Him, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage, with Jesus, they'll see His glory." What does it look like to live as a pilgrim today? It means daily surrender, choosing obedience, and walking by faith rather than sight. When we give our lives fully to Jesus, we find the greatest joy in living for Him alone. Worship as a Sacrifice The bridge of Bless God challenges us to worship even when it costs us something: "Bless God when my hands are empty, bless God with a praise that costs me." There are moments in life when worship doesn't come easily—when our hearts are heavy, our prayers seem unanswered, and the weight of trials presses down. Yet, it is in these moments that our worship becomes a sacrifice, an offering of trust. Job, after losing everything, still declared: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). That kind of worship changes us. It realigns our perspective and reminds us that our faith is not built on what God does for us but on who He is. Every Chance I Get The repeating tag, "Every chance I get, I bless Your name," is a powerful reminder that worship is not confined to a Sunday service or a moment of music—it's a lifestyle. We are called to bless God with our words, our actions, our work, and our obedience. Today, take a moment to bless the Lord. Not just in your comfort, but in your struggle. Not just in your victories, but in your waiting. Lift your voice, lift your hands, and declare that He is worthy—every chance you get. Reflection Questions: Where in your life do you need to shift your focus back to Jesus so that you will not be shaken? What does it mean for you to have a "pilgrim's heart" in your walk with Christ? How can you worship God today, even if it costs you something? What is one way you can make blessing God a daily habit, not just a moment in church? Prayer:Lord, I bless Your name today—not just in the good times but in every season. Teach my heart to trust You fully, to seek You earnestly, and to praise You unconditionally. Whether in abundance or need, joy or sorrow, I choose to worship You. Every chance I get, I will bless Your name. Amen.

“Does not all nature around me praise God? If I were silent, I should be an exception to the universe. Does not the thunder praise Him as it rolls like drums in the march of the God of armies? Do not the mountains praise Him when the woods upon their summits wave in adoration? Does not the lightning write His name in letters of fire? Has not the whole earth a voice? And shall I, can I, silent be?”-Charles Spurgeon. To ”bless God" is a phrase that some might find strange or counter-intuitive, as we are perhaps more familiar with the idea of blessing being something that comes from God to us, perhaps not as much so the other way around. But to bless God – to exalt, praise, magnify Him – becomes a habit – a first response - in the lives of those who have let themselves receive the love of the Lord. To bless God is really the only appropriate response to the realization that the only reason that the possibility exists of making the choice to bless Him is because He has first so richly blessed us. When we "bless God," we are not adding anything to God or giving Him something He lacks, because our Triune God is utterly complete. Rather, when we worship Him, when we declare that He is worthy to be praised, we are aligning ourselves with the truth of His worthiness of all praise and honor, we are rightly seeing the true order of things – you might even say we're aligning ourselves with reality. And when we align ourselves with reality by declaring His reign and His worth, bringing Him worship and sacrifices of praise, we're also entering into communion with the Father and participating in the relationship we were born for. Blessing and glorifying God is a pathway to the gift of His presence, the preciousness of His nearness, and the unspeakable treasures of the joy therein. C.S. Lewis expressed it this way:“The Scotch catechism says that man's chief end is 'to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.' But we shall then know that these are the same thing. Fully to enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.” We bless God because we're made to. We bless God because we need to – I need to. We bless God because scripture invites us to, encourages us to, and commands us to! Psalm 150:6 “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." Original post by Brooke Ligertwood available on YouVersion. A five-day reading plan exploring some of the Biblical perspectives that anchor Brooke's album, EIGHT. Enjoy devotionals that journey through themes like the fear of the Lord, postures in prayer, enduring in wilderness seasons, enjoying God, and choosing Him in response to His choice of us!, as well as featuring lyrics and music from songs throughout the Album EIGHT by Brooke Ligertwood.