Bless The Lord O My Soul!

 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5(ESV)

Oh, how I adore Psalm 103! It has always been a source of encouragement for me. Whenever I feel discouraged, like giving up or walking away, this Psalm lifts me up, reminds me of God’s unwavering love and faithfulness, and strengthens me to persevere.

In this Psalm, David addresses his own soul. Perhaps he was facing a difficult time, like when Saul sought to kill him or when Absalom attempted to seize the kingdom. The Bible doesn’t explicitly state this, but regardless, David was encouraging himself, reminding himself of God’s numerous blessings.

I can do the same. What blessings do I need to remember?

He forgives all my sins; He heals me; He redeems my life; He crowns me with love and mercy; He satisfies my deepest desires; He renews my strength.

Why these blessings? These gifts from God?

Because God is merciful and gracious!

In Exodus 34:6, God describes Himself to Moses as a God of mercy, grace, patience, and boundless goodness and truth.

Psalm 86:15 (ESV) also portrays God in the same manner. “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

God doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve. His anger is not eternal. Because His mercy is vast; it surpasses the heavens above the earth!

For those who fear Him and believe in Him, He removes our sins as far as the East is from the West. He remembers our frailty, knowing that we are dust. He understands our weaknesses and our tendency to stray.

So, when, like the Psalmist in 42:5, we cry out, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you disquieted within me?” (NKJV), we can remember His many blessings. Speak to ourselves like David and place our hope in God!

We can, like the Psalmist in Psalm 9:1 (NIV), express our gratitude to God with all our hearts and recount all His wondrous deeds.

Give thanks to the Lord with our whole heart, not half-heartedly or because we have to or to check something off our to-do list. We genuinely want to express our gratitude for all He has done for us and for all He has seen us through. Let us give thanks with our entire being, encompassing all aspects of our lives, including our strengths and weaknesses, our ups and downs, our good and bad experiences. Then, let us recount all His wonderful deeds. It is beneficial to remember God’s faithfulness and reflect on how He has worked in our lives, both in the past and present. By sharing these stories with others, we can offer them hope and give glory to God.

Bless the Lord, my soul!