The Christian greeting ‘May the Lord be with you’ is a powerful blessing seeking to invoke God’s presence and protection. There are many polite and positive ways to respond to it. Our response reflects our faith, values, and desire to connect with others spiritually.
With that in mind, I have compiled a list of 15 correct responses to ‘May the Lord be with you,’ each offering a unique perspective, tone, and emphasis, all of which aim to honor God and express gratitude.
Choose the response that best fits your personality, mood, and intention, and let the power of God’s presence fill your heart and theirs, whether you are greeting a fellow believer, a friend, a family member, or a stranger.
15 Correct Responses to ‘May the Lord Be With You’
Below are 15 correct responses to the phrase ‘May the Lord be with you:’
- Thank You, And With You As Well
- I Receive That Blessing
- Amen
- God Bless You Too
- I Appreciate That
- Likewise, My Friend
- Much Thanks
- Very Kind
- Bless You, As Well
- I Receive It, Thank You
- That Means A Lot
- Much Obliged
- Back At You
- The Feeling Is Mutual
- I Needed That, Thank You
1. Thank You, And With You As Well
When someone offers you a prayer, one of the best ways to respond is by thanking them for their kind words and returning the same wish to them. For example:
- ‘Thank you, and may the Lord be with you as well.’
This shows appreciation for their prayer and reciprocates the hope that God will bless them, too.
2. I Receive That Blessing
When someone says, ‘May the Lord be with you,’ they are blessing you. They wish God’s presence, peace, and happiness to be with you. It’s like they give you a gift of good things they hope will happen in your life.
You can reply by saying, ‘I receive that blessing. Thank you.’ What you are doing here is accepting their gift to you. You are telling them, ‘Yes, I want that too. I agree with what you’re wishing for me.’
You can return the prayer by saying,
- ‘I receive that blessing, and I wish you heaven’s best, too.’
- ‘Thank you, I receive the blessing. Amen’
3. Amen
When someone blesses you by saying, ‘May the Lord be with you,’ one way you can reply is simply saying, ‘Amen.’ This word may sound short and simple, but it carries much meaning.
The word ‘Amen’ originally comes from Hebrew, an ancient Biblical language. In Hebrew, ‘amen’ expresses agreement and affirmation. It means ‘yes, this is true’ or ‘so be it.’
So when you say ‘Amen’ in response to a blessing, you say, ‘Yes, I agree with this prayer. I hope this comes true in my life.’ It’s like putting a seal of approval on the blessing and making it your desire.
By saying ‘Amen,’ you tell the person that their blessing resonates with you. You are thanking them and confirming that you want God’s presence and favor, as they wished for you.
- ‘Amen. May the Lord be with you.’
- ‘Amen and may God be with you too, now and forever more.
4. God Bless You Too
When someone cares about you and says, ‘May the Lord be with you,’ one great way to reply is by blessing them back. You can say, ‘God bless you too!’ This shows that you don’t just care about yourself but also want good things for them.
This demonstrates love and kindness. By saying, ‘God bless you too,’ you are letting them know that you appreciate their desire for God to be present in your life. And you hope that God will also be present in their lives and bless them.
Saying ‘God bless you too’ shares the blessing instead of just receiving it. So the next time someone blesses you, try wishing a blessing back over your life. Let them know you want God’s peace and joy for them too.
- ‘Thanks, God bless you and be with you.’
- ‘Thank you and may the lord be with you and your family.’
5. I Appreciate That
If you want to keep it short and simple, just saying ‘I appreciate that’ or ‘Thank you, I appreciate your kindness’ acknowledges their care and good intentions.
Saying this phrase is better than just saying ‘thanks’ because it puts more emphasis on the fact that you are genuinely grateful for their good deed. The words ‘appreciate’ and ‘that’ indicate you understand the effort they made and value it.
So, this phrase is a simple but meaningful way to express your gratitude and recognize someone’s kind intentions. Using it can brighten their day and strengthen their bond with that person.
- ‘I Appreciate that, bless you too’
- ‘The Lord bless and keep you, thanks.’
6. Likewise My Friend
When someone says, ‘May the Lord be with you,’ they bless you and wish for God’s presence in your life. A warm, friendly way to respond is to say, ‘Likewise, my friend.’
The word ‘likewise’ means you wish the same back to them. And calling them ‘my friend’ makes your reply more caring and relational.
For example, if someone in the church says, ‘May the Lord be with you’ as you leave the church after a Sunday service, you can respond, ‘Likewise, my friend.’ This means you are grateful for their blessing and hope the Lord will be with them too.
It shows you care about her and view her as more than just a family member but as a friend. Even though you may be young, you understand this is her way of expressing love.
- ‘Likewise, my dear friend’
- ‘The Lord bless and keep you too my friend’
7. Much Thanks
When someone religious says, ‘May the Lord be with you,’ they are trying to bless you by wishing for God’s presence and care in your life. One way you can respond is by saying, ‘Much thanks.’ This is a casual but respectful way of showing appreciation for their kind words.
The phrase ‘much thanks’ means you are very thankful for their blessing. It communicates that you are grateful for their good intentions and wish for God to be with you. The word ‘much’ emphasizes that you sincerely recognize the meaning of their words, even though ‘thanks’ is informal.
- ‘Much thanks for your kind wishes’
- ‘Thank you very much for the prayer’
8. Very Kind of You, Thanks, and God Bless
One way to respond is to say, ‘Very kind of you, thanks, and God bless.’ Starting with ‘Very kind of you’ shows you recognize how nice it was for them to say that.
This shows that you appreciate their kind gesture. Saying ‘thanks’ then directly expresses gratitude for their blessings and prayers. And ending with ‘God bless’ sends the blessing back to them, wishing for God’s care and favor to be with them too.’
- ‘Very kind of you, thanks my friend, and God bless you.’
- ‘Thanks, bro, that was very kind of you.’
9. Bless You As Well
One way to respond is to say, ‘Very kind of you, thanks, and God bless.’ Starting with ‘Very kind of you’ shows you recognize how nice it was for them to say that.
This shows that you appreciate their kind gesture. Saying ‘thanks’ then directly expresses gratitude for their blessings and prayers. And ending with ‘God bless’ sends the blessing back to them, wishing for God’s care and favor to be with them too.’
- ‘God bless you as well, my friend’
- ‘May God bless and be with you as well’
10. I Receive It, Thank You
When someone says, “May the Lord be with you,” they are trying to bless you by wishing for God’s presence and care in your life.
A meaningful response is, ‘I receive it, thank you.’ Saying ‘I receive it’ shows you accept their blessing and welcome their wish for God’s companionship. It means you are open to what they are offering you. Then, adding ‘thank you’ expresses gratitude for their kind intentions.
For example, if your grandpa blesses you this way when you leave his home, you can reply,
- ‘I receive it; thank you, Grandpa.’
- ‘Thank you for the prayer, I receive it and God bless you too’
Replying ‘I receive it’ means you appreciate what he wishes for you. And saying ‘thank you’ is a polite way to show gratitude for his friendship and care. So together, you accept his blessing and thank him.
11. That Means A Lot, Thanks
When you say, ‘That means a lot, thanks,’ it shows that you understand and value the importance of the person’s words and that you’re grateful for their kind message. The phrase shows the emotional significance of the message and how much it means to you.
It’s a sincere and genuine way to express your appreciation. By adding ‘thanks,’ you are directly showing gratitude for the person’s kindness and appreciation for their gesture.
This shows that you not only heard their words but also genuinely valued them, which can help build a positive relationship with the person.
12. Much Obliged
The phrase ‘much obliged’ is a polite way of expressing that you feel very thankful and honored by someone’s kind words or gesture. When someone blesses you by saying, ‘May the Lord be with you,’ they wish for God’s presence and care in your life.
Replying ‘Much obliged’ shows you feel a sense of gratitude and appreciation for their blessing. The word “much” shows how deeply thankful you feel. And ‘obliged’ means you owe them something for their thoughtfulness.
It’s a courteous response that shows respect and honor for the blessing from someone older. Though it uses fancy language, it simply expresses that you are thankful for their wish for God to be with you.
For example:
- if your pastor blesses you this way when you leave her house, saying, ‘Much obliged, sir,’ shows that her gesture means a lot to you.
13. Amen, I wish the same for you
‘Amen’ shows a shared belief or faith, adding a deeper meaning to the conversation. Adding ‘Back at you’ is another way of returning the blessing, adding a friendly and fun tone to the conversation.
Responding this way demonstrates the importance of positive communication in building and maintaining relationships because most people want to receive what they give back to others.
So when someone says, May God be with you, smile and reply with Amen.
- ‘I wish the same for you!’
- ‘Amen to your kind prayers, I wish you the same’
14. The Feeling Is Mutual
When someone wishes God’s blessings upon you, responding with ‘the feeling is mutual’ is a way to show that you reciprocate those good wishes. This phrase expresses your good intentions towards the person who wishes you well, emphasizing that you care about the other’s well-being.
By responding this way, you are letting the person know that you appreciate their gesture and hope they will be blessed just like they’ve blessed you.
In essence, ‘the feeling is mutual’ is a kind way to return the blessing. It creates a sense of mutual respect and positivity, which can help strengthen the relationship and foster a friendly and blessed environment.
- ‘Thank you for the wish, the feeling is mutual’
- ‘May God be with you too for the kind wishes and prayers’
15. I Needed That, Thank You
Sometimes, when people bless you by saying, ‘May the Lord be with you,’ you may be facing a challenge or hardship. If that’s true for you at the moment, you can respond by saying, ‘I needed that, thank you.’
This means their blessing has a special meaning because you need God’s presence and help right now.
Even though you’re not having a bad time, you have times when you feel worried, stressed, or unsure about things. Saying ‘I needed that’ tells the person you appreciate them, wishing God’s comfort and strength for you now.
This shows understanding and shows their words that touch your heart. Then, adding ‘thank you’ expresses gratitude for their care.
- ‘Thank you, I needed to hear that. It meant a lot to me.’
- ‘This gave me strength because I needed to hear that’
In Summary
When someone blesses you with the Christian phrase ‘May the Lord be with you,’ there are various ways to respond beyond simply saying ‘And also with you.’ The crucial factor is the intention behind your words and theirs.
Acknowledge their prayer, return the same for them, and express genuine gratitude towards them. This strengthens your connection and uplifts both of you.
Your response should depend on your relationship with the person, the setting, and your faith background. However, thoughtful and caring words can build bridges and encourage mutual spiritual support.
With some creativity and sensitivity, even small gestures like these greetings can make someone’s day.