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July 12, 2026
#BLESSED
MACK WILBERG
Conductor

BRIAN MATHIAS
Organist

DERRICK PORTER
The Spoken Word

WITH SONGS OF PRAISE
Music: Newel Kay Brown
Text: Penelope Moody Allen
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

LOOK AT THE WORLD
Music and Text: John Rutter

VENITE!
Music: John Leavitt

I SING THE MIGHTY POWER OF GOD
Music: English melody
Text: Isaac Watts
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

PEACE LIKE A RIVER
Music and Text: African American spiritual
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

THE SPOKEN WORD
“#Blessed”

NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD
Music: Johan Crüger
Text: Martin Rinkart; trans. Catherine Winkworth
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

PRESS FORWARD, SAINTS
Music: Vanja Y. Watkins
Text: Marvin K. Gardner
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg




A MORE PERFECT UNION
The Spoken Word
July 5, 2026
By: Derrick Porter and Andy Reid

SOCIAL PLATFORMS HAVE INTRODUCED many new phenomena. One of them is placing a hashtag in front of a word—tagging it so it becomes searchable.

It’s estimated that the phrase “#blessed” has been used in more than 100 million posts on Instagram alone!1 Often, this tag is used to highlight something received or experienced—a gift, vacation, or special moment.

But blessings from heaven are more than moments of good fortune. They are often tender, specific, timely, and merciful gifts—given in love by God to His children. In many ways, God’s blessings are an extension of His hand in our lives—guiding, supporting, and preparing us according to His will. Even when it feels as though we are not receiving the blessings we need, it does not mean He is absent. Some blessings simply take time to be recognized or to unfold.

Divine blessings come in many ways. Some are given simply because we are children of God. He desires to bless all of us. As the New Testament records, “He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”2

Other blessings are conditioned on our obedience to God’s commandments.3 The book of Malachi teaches, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse … and prove me now herewith … if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing.”4 These blessings require us to act in faith before we receive.

Still others are held in reserve, waiting for us to ask with a sincere heart. Jesus, teaching His disciples, declared, “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”5

God is eager to bless us. Just as He promised covenant Israel that he would “rejoice over them [and] do them good,” even with His “whole heart and … whole soul,”6 He likewise desires to bless us today. As we look for the blessings He has already granted, strive to act in obedience to His commandments, and ask in faith for the blessings we need—fully trusting His timing—we can rest assured, knowing we are in His hands and in His sight.


  1. See Christine Gordon, “#Blessed May Not Mean What You Think,” TGC, Mar. 24, 2019, thegospelcoalition.org.
  2. Matthew 5:45.
  3. See Doctrine and Covenants 130:20–21.
  4. Malachi 3:10.
  5. John 16:24 (New Revised Standard Version).
  6. Jeremiah 32:41.