The new song, “The Blessing” from Kari Jobe and Elevation Worship, is that for me right now. Released just 6 days ago, the video has over 1.5 million views and trust me, you want to watch the video. As a parent, the song resonated even more deeply, given it’s intentional focus on blessing the next generation and beyond.
Worship is best with others
I’ve heard corporate worship — especially in a massive stadium like this — compared to a drug. Culture writer Jia Tolentino wrote that drugs and religion “both provide a path toward transcendence, a way of accessing an extra-human world of rapture and pardon.” And, of course, Marx famous called religion “the opiate of the masses.”
Whatever higher minds think about it, a sober high is the best kind and worship is one of the only ways you can experience that. Personally, I view the “drunken” worship experienced as a preview to heaven.
In worship, we live out our original purpose, the one planned before sin came on the scene. Our one and only real job: to worship the Creator. I’ve had friends who don’t often attend church say worship always makes them weep — and unexpectedly. It’s because God’s Spirit is THERE and it is found in this powerful way in worship as it is nowhere else.
Ephesians 18 says: “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
The fastest way to be filled is to worship — and God has given so many great songwriters and musicians the perfect songs for various times throughout history. Most of them remain timeless. Imagine your favorite hymn: Does “How Great Thou Art?” or “Great is Thy Faithfulness” ever get old? Not to me.
This particular song begins like many normal worship tunes, with classic lyrics most of us can appreciate:
The Lord bless you and keep you Make His face shine upon you And be gracious to you The Lord turn His face toward you And give you peace.
Amen. Amen. Amen.
Amen. Amen. Amen.
Things really ramp up with meaning for me towards the middle. You hear Kari Jobe come in singing about blessing for your children and their children. I don’t know about you, but sing about my kids being blessed by God for generations and I’m a goner. That IS what we pray for more than anything, isn’t it? One friend hadn’t really been praying — until her daughter was born. Then it was prayer everyday, before meals, rocking her to sleep.
We PRAY for our kids even if we’re not sure God is there — so this lyric is intensely meaningful for everyone who has ever uttered a word to God for their children.
I want blessings for my kids more than for myself, so I’m immediately choking up every time on this line. Isn’t that what matters?
A thousand generations? We *want* that — even though we won’t be around for it. And, side note, God wants that for us & those generations even more than we do.
May His favor be upon you And a thousand generations And your family and your children And their children and their children
Then, the song addresses current day. We are moving about our lives, struggling through addictions, divorce, insomnia, adultery, childhood trauma, disabilities, parenthood, marriage, job loss…but He is before us, behind us, all around us, piecing together every part into a larger story. We can’t see it, but He is doing it. We trust the Storyteller. We know that life is bigger than THIS life, and that “all things work together for good for them that love God”(Romans 8:28) — even if we can’t see the good right now.
When you take your eyes off the problem and put them on Jesus, you immediately start moving in the right direction. Just try it. Seriously, try it today by opening the Bible or just really listening to this song. And if you have doubts about God, that means your faith is even stronger than those who don’t. Read that line again.
May His presence go before you And behind you and beside you. All around you and within you He is with you he is with you. In the morning in the evening In your coming and your going In your weeping and rejoicing.
Lastly, the repeated line at the end got me. This past Sunday, I took a big step in sharing a very vulnerable part of my life with my church family. Like I got up in front of the entire church and spoke — and I was terrified. I talked about how I used to hear a voice in my head that said “I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.” I told them about how I have been delivered from that voice and NEVER heard it again. But on the way to church, before I shared, I heard that same voice saying, “Don’t share. This is a bad idea.” But I knew the voice and it was not God and I was able to shut it down. That’s the power of the Holy Spirit.
Instead, I trusted the voice of the One I’ve come to know so much more intimately in the past year. Since I’ve picked up my Bible more than ever in my entire life, let go of major strongholds, cried through difficult moments believing He was good. The more you talk to God, read His word, spend time with Him and His people, the easier it is to recognize that voice.
And so, when these last words play out, I want everyone to hold onto them. When everything feels too much, know them.
He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you He is for you.
He has “The Blessing” for you and a thousand generations. I already knew that, but hearing it in worship form makes it feel that much more real and true.
Here you go: