Bless You! by David Jeremiah

Bless You! Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. Psalm 1:1 Sometimes you’ll hear the German word gesundheit when someone sneezes. It literally means “health,” so saying it after a sneeze means “Good health to you!” The English expression “God bless you” was intended the same way: “May God bless you with good health!”

Recommended Reading: Psalm 1

But what does blessing mean? Why do we say “God bless you” upon parting, or sign our emails with “Blessings”? In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the words for blessing literally mean “happiness.” The Old Testament word osher came from a root meaning “to be level or right, to go forth in properness and rightness.” The New Testament makarios also means to be happy—that is, “to live in God’s favor.” So when we say, “God bless you,” we are invoking the happiness only God can provide. And we find that happiness by living according to His guidelines for life—full of the Spirit and based on the Word. Who wouldn’t want to live a happy life? While the world promotes many paths to happiness, only God’s blessing can bring true happiness. If we want to know God and to be blessed of God, we must start by worshipping him. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones