Do you remember when you first discovered echoes? I do. As a kid, I was on a family vacation driving through the Smoky Mountains when my dad honked the horn in a tunnel. That simple sound bouncing back fascinated me. Like most kids discovering echoes, I stuck my head out the car window and yelled “Echo!” (Not exactly the height of creativity, I know.)
Years later, I took my own children to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. There, we discovered the whisper chamber—a fascinating exhibit where you can stand at one end of a room, whisper into a plexiglass shield, and someone 20 yards away can hear you perfectly because of how the sound travels. At first, my kids were yelling into it (because inside voices aren’t exactly their specialty), but once they figured out how it worked, they were mesmerized.
This concept of an echo—a sound reflecting off a surface and returning to its origin—perfectly illustrates what we’ve been discussing in our recent series about God’s abundance. When God pours His blessings into our lives, our natural response should be like an echo—reflecting back to Him in worship.
Understanding God’s Blessings
Before we dive deeper, let’s clarify what we mean by “blessings.” We could spend all day debating what constitutes a blessing, but I want to focus on the heart of God’s blessings—why He blesses us in the first place.
The world often sees blessings as:
- Personal success
- Wealth and prosperity
- Temporary benefits
- Something for personal gain
But God sees blessings as:
- For His glory
- Spiritual gifts and growth
- Eternal in nature
- A way to draw us closer to Him
Can God bless you materially and financially? Of course! Will He always? No. But material blessings aren’t the point. God’s blessings, whatever form they take, are always intended for two purposes: His glory and your growth. That’s the foundation of how we should understand God’s blessings.
Abraham’s Response to Blessing
Think about Abraham. God called him to leave his homeland and journey to an unknown place. When Abraham finally arrived in Canaan, God appeared to him and promised, “To your offspring I will give this land.”
What was Abraham’s immediate response? He built an altar and worshiped. He didn’t run off to tell all his friends or brag about his divine encounter. His first instinct was worship.
This teaches us something fundamental: God pours out His blessings in abundance so they will overflow back to Him in worship. Worship is our right and necessary response when we experience God’s blessings in our lives.
Worship: Our Natural Echo
The Psalms are filled with this response. Consider Psalm 100: “Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs… For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
King David understood this well. Remember when he brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem? He was so overcome with joy that he danced with abandon, not caring what others thought. When his wife Michal criticized him for his undignified behavior, David’s response was powerful: “I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this.”
Your worship doesn’t have to look like David’s (and I’m definitely not advocating dancing naked in the streets!). Maybe you’re not comfortable raising your hands or dancing during worship services. That’s okay. What matters is that your worship comes from the same place as David’s—a recognition of God’s blessings and a desire to honor Him in response.
The Ten Lepers: A Lesson in Gratitude
In Luke 17, Jesus encounters ten men with leprosy. These men were outcasts, forced to live on the margins of society due to their disease. When they saw Jesus, they called out, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
Jesus told them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” This was remarkable because lepers weren’t supposed to approach priests unless they were already healed—and they weren’t healed yet. But as they went in obedience, they were cleansed.
This teaches us another important principle: the blessings of God follow obedience to God. So often, we want the blessing first, and then we’ll be obedient. But that’s not how it works. Abraham was called to go, and he went—then he received the blessing. Joshua and his men were called to circle Jericho multiple times—after their obedience, the walls fell. The disciples were told to cast their nets again after a fruitless night—their obedience led to an overwhelming catch.
Maybe you’re waiting on God’s blessing right now. But perhaps God is waiting on your obedience.
One Returned, Nine Continued
But the story doesn’t end with the healing. Out of the ten lepers who were cleansed, only one—a Samaritan, no less—returned to thank Jesus. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and praised God with a loud voice.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”
This question reveals that Jesus expected worship as a response to His blessing. He wasn’t surprised that the one came back; He was surprised that the other nine didn’t. Why? Because worship is the natural, expected response when we receive God’s blessings. You were created to reflect back worship to God—it’s how you were made!
What Does Your Echo Look Like?
So I ask you: What does your echo look like? When God pours out His blessing in your life, how do you reflect that back to Him?
We’re approaching Easter, when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus—the greatest blessing we could ever receive. Jesus came, died, and rose again so that we might be saved. There is no greater reason to fall at His feet in worship.
In a few days, we’ll have our Thursday Encounter worship experience here at the Brighton campus. I’m excited about this because I believe it will be one of the most powerful worship nights we’ve ever had. We’re simply creating space to allow the Holy Spirit to work, celebrating and praising God for His blessings in our lives.
The fact that only one of the ten lepers returned to worship Jesus is a fitting analogy for the church today. Too often, we receive God’s blessings and continue on our way without pausing to acknowledge the Giver. May we be people who come back, who fall at Jesus’ feet, and who worship Him wholeheartedly for all He’s done.
God’s blessings are like a sound that goes out—but the echo that returns should be our worship. May our lives resonate with gratitude and praise, reflecting back to God what He has so generously given to us.
We always welcome new friends to worship with us. Find a location that’s close to you!
You can learn more about our beliefs and visit our video library to explore more topics like this one. You can also check out our events page to find out what fun new things we’re doing this season.
