One of the books I read a few years back addressed blessing God, and traditional Jewish prayers of blessing. The purpose of the blessing is to put God at the center of your prayers. The end of the chapter suggested writing your own prayer of blessing, called a berakhah, beginning with, “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe…” I don’t do this every time I pray, but I do sometimes and let myself be mindful of God’s blessings and greatness. There was one day that I prayed a blessing prayer, and I thought about how God is the giver of light, and how many different ways He gives us light. He gives us the sun to light our days and bring warmth to the earth. He gives us the soft light of the moon and stars at night to keep us from being in complete darkness. He gives us fire, which is another form of light in the darkness, and also a source of heat and comfort. He has even given us bugs and plants that are bioluminescent. He gave several men the knowledge that has brought us electricity to bring us light in places natural light doesn’t shine. All of the things already mentioned remind us of God’s glory and power, His creativity and caring for our physical needs. But the best kinds of light He has given us are of a spiritual nature. He has given us the gift of His Son, Jesus, who is called the Light of the World (John 8:12). He has given us the church, for God’s light to shine through to the world (Matthew 5:14-16). We are told that God Himself is light (1 John 1:5) and that He is the Father of lights (James 1:17).
“Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, the giver of all forms of light, both spiritual and physical, that give us peace and comfort.”
