His Glory My Joy, a blog of Author Luana Ehrlich

When a stranger suddenly sneezed when I was standing in front of her in the check out line at a grocery store, I responded by saying, “Bless you.”

She nodded and said, “Thank you. I needed a blessing.”

Her response amused me, and as I thought about this encounter later in the day, I was curious why we say, “God bless you,” or “Bless you,” when a person sneezes.

Naturally, that led me to do a little research on it, and I discovered this practice started during the Bubonic Plaque in Europe when sneezing was seen as a symptom of the disease. Saying, “God bless you,” was a way of asking God’s protection from the disease.

As believers in Christ, we don’t have to wait for a stranger to ask God’s blessings on us after a sneeze.

We can ask God to bless us at any time, at any place, and under any circumstance.

Matthew 7:7 tells us to “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.”

An Old Testament character named Jabez asked for God’s blessing in this way: “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” 1 Chronicles 4:9-10.

Before asking for God’s blessing, think of all the ways He’s already blessed you—salvation, family, career, shelter, health—and then be specific in the way you want Him to bless you now.

In asking for anything from the Lord, the Bible admonishes us to examine our motivation for asking—is it in keeping with God’s will for our life and the holy life he expects us to live as His children? How do we intend to use God’s blessing—for ourselves or for others?

One of the prayers of the Apostle Paul is a good guide to follow: “God, bless me abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that I need, I will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8.

My blessing for you today is this: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26.