“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 iniquities, who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103: 1-5 (NKJV)
The word bless here as applied to God, means to praise Him with a sense of gratitude, and the word “soul,” here is equivalent to our mind or heart; our mental and moral powers. We were made to bless the Lord with everything within us; all our powers and faculties. We were made to bless Him with all that can be employed in His praise: our heart, mind, will, affections, and emotions.
In the first 5 verses of this Psalm, we see where David is commanding everything within him to bless the Lord. He’s commanding his soul to call the favours of the Lord into recollection. As we continue on to the other verses we see where David mentions some ways in which the Lord has been good to him. The Lord forgave his iniquities, healed his diseases, redeemed his life from destruction, crowned him with His loving kindness and tender mercies, and satisfied his mouth with good things. David recognizes that God meets spiritual, emotional, physical and mental needs for His children, and that causes him to break forth in a song of praise – “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name.”
David’s life bears witness to the fact that God doesn’t always change your situation, but He does give us the grace and all that we need to get through the hard times. Are you going through difficult times right now? I encourage you to read and re-read the words of David, and as He did, command your soul to call the favours of the Lord to recollection. I can imagine how David danced and rejoiced over the incredible thought that God can meet needs in every area of life and provides whatever it takes to get through each day. Oh, the goodness of our loving Father!
Ask God to give you that same spirit of joy as you realize His sufficiency to meet your every need. And then as David did, lift up a song of praise unto the Lord.
Listen to this song as you reflect: 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman
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Angelisa is a Jesus enthusiast, Worship leader & Christian youth leader. She considers herself to be the old-fashioned type of girl who loves spicy food and belly bottom laughter. Among her passions are singing, working with children, and encouraging others.