Bless ME?

Ok, I had a strange thought. I know that won't surprise those of you who know me. Sometimes I am amazed at how my mind works. But, here goes! 

If you are completely alone and you sneeze, is it appropriate to say, "Bless me?" I told you it was a weird thought. Really, beyond blessing yourself when we sneeze, is it appropriate even to ask God to bless you? Blessing people is certainly a part of the Bible:

"The Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons this is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 'The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.'" (Numbers 6:22-26, NIV)

This is a famous blessing, but it is about asking blessing upon others, not you. 

IS IT APPROPRIATE TO ASK FOR BLESSINGS FOR YOURSELF?

In the book of Nehemiah, this powerful leader asks that HE be blessed on at least 4 different occasions:

"Remember, O my God, all that I have done for these people, and bless me for it." (Nehemiah 5:19, NLT)

"Remember this good deed, O my God, and do not forget all that I have faithfully done for the Temple of my God and its services." (Nehemiah 13:14, NLT)

"Remember this good deed also, O my God! Have compassion on my according to your great. unfailing love." (Nehemiah 13:22b, NLT)

"Remember this my favor, O my God." (Nehemiah 13:31,NLT)

To be fair, Nehemiah wasn't just stuck on himself, he also asked others to be blessed in Nehemiah 6:14 and 13:29. But he definitely asks God to bless him for what he is doing. I have to admit, when I read the four verses above, I thought, "How arrogant!" As I thought about it more, I realized, wait a second, the Bible is filled with examples of people asking God to bless them. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is the prayer of Jabez where he asks God to bless him, protect him, and expand his territory. (1 Chronicles 4:10)

I read in an article that it is almost mandatory that we approach the Lord seeking his blessing on our lives. Yet, even though we are seeking his blessing, it's not about us! Asking God to bless us for our glory and to honor us, is completely wrong. It is a matter of perspective and attitude. The question is WHY am I seeking a blessing for myself?

My greatest desire is to do the Lord's will. Each day I get older I look less for rewards and more affirmation that I am doing the will of God. One reason to ask for a blessing is to confirm that we ARE doing God's will. Another reason is that people will see his power through us. When we are blessed it is obvious to others. We want people to see his love THROUGH us and when we are blessed it causes people to pause and take notice. Lastly, I love that I can see God's presence in my life. When I am blessed I feel that presence in a special way and I just can't get enough of that. When I feel that presence, I just want to praise him more. The entire world needs to praise God more. They are being blessed and they don't even realize it! So, when I ask a blessing I am also seeking God's presence more and praising him more. Psalm 67 summarizes it all:

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us --- so that our ways may be known on the earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him." (Psalm 67:1-7, NIV)

Please Lord bless me, protect me, and expand my territory for YOUR glory, not my own!