What Does It Mean to Be Blessed?

Whenever something goes right in our lives, we're apt to say we're "lucky." I was recently convicted about that and now I say I'm "blessed." Whatever good I'm experiencing is because of God's grace. We talk about blessings from God being those things that He gives us--food to eat, people who love us, maybe our jobs (especially in this economy), health, etc. And no doubt, those things are certainly blessings from our God who loves us more than we can imagine.

But there's another meaning for the word blessed. Part of the confusion comes between "blest" (which was the past tense of bless but isn't used as much any more) and "blessed" (which had a different meaning in the Bible). Blessed carried the idea of an enduring joy, regardless of circumstances. So while you might feel "blest" by the things God gives you, "blessed" carries a deeper sense. So when Jesus says "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." (Matthew 5:3), he's not saying that the poor in spirit are going to have blessing raining down on them, that they will feel great about their circumstances. He is saying that the poor in spirit will have a deep, enduring joy because "theirs is the kingdom of heaven." That joy is not dependent on their circumstances--in fact the circumstances may be quite troubling (John 16:33). That joy comes from understanding their place as it relates to God's Kingdom.

This meaning is very different from what we typically think of when we hear the word blessed (or blest) in our conversations. God doesn't promise any of us blessings beyond grace and the hope of heaven. What He does promise is that, if we tune our hearts to Him, we will have the kind of attitude that doesn't depend on our present circumstances. That sounds like a blessing that I want to have.