BLESS THE LORD
SATURDAY 09 APRIL 2022
Today's topic is majored on directing our focus towards a significantly satisfying goal of blessing the Lord and His Holy name, for who He is and for all He's done for us.
Reference: Psalm 103:1-2 New American Standard Bible (NASB) "Bless the Lord, my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits."
David was praising the Lord for His blessings - goodness and mercies toward him. He says, "O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I'll bless His holy name! O my soul, bless God, don't forget a single blessing!"
When I think of David sharing such thoughts with his own soul, I personally honour God because He has created us rich, not just in spirit, but also in our soul and He has bountifully shed His favour on us, as His beloved. Indeed, our greatest empire is the soul dimension, which depicts our larger personality. Thus, the wisdom of acknowledging our soul in our dealings with God is an intelligent conversation. When we get personal with our soul, we feel deeply heard and honoured for our unique selves. As we encourage this reality, it helps us to create a more enabling atmosphere for God to perfect the blessings ahead of us, as they will soon become our reality.
In order to operate at a higher, more awakened frequency with God, we must be present with our soul. Soul recognition is a function of high vibration and version of human worth; it is such a powerful place and dimension to engage God. And it has nothing to do with exercising any power over anyone else, but its about having a sovereign relationship with the best of ourselves. So David knew this secret, and for this reason, He began to bless God from that realm.
When we truly encounter the goodness of God in a way we have never imagined, there are divinely-inspired appreciations that are incapable of full expression from just our own lips. As sincere Christians, there are profound feelings that cannot be spoken or translated to wordings, as we reminisce the depth of God's goodness. Our vocabulary can break down in the attempt to express our deepest emotions and our truest appreciation for all of God's benefits and favour, heavily directed towards us.
To this effect, when a man (like David did) opens up to God with this thoughtful remark, "Bless the Lord, my soul, And all that is within me", it denotes that he is offering a reasonable service to God because, for all the deepest things in man, the inarticulate utterance of the soul, in partnership with the spirit-body connection are the most self-revealing living sacrifice we can offer to God. This is exactly the thought Pauline epistolary remark conveyed in Romans 12:1 which reads, "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him" (NLT). Yes, offering "all of you" signifies the depth of your love for God!
Furthermore, blessing God for His benefits always attracts more grace and blessings. In the subsequent verses (Psalm 103:3-6 NASB), David listed few of them, saying: "And do not forget any of His benefits; Who pardons all your guilt, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with favour and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. The Lord performs righteous deeds..."
Beloved learn to acknowledge all of God's benefits by counting and listing those blessings, although they are countless and limitless because His goodness always abounds. However, as much as you remember, write down all the things God has done in your life, including His answered prayers, and testify about them always. This practice will not only improve the quality of your lifestyle, but also, will position you to experience more of God's goodness. Shalom!
Scripture Reading - Psalm 68:19; Romans 11:33; Psalm 116:12-13; Philippians 4:19; James 1:17.
Guided Prayer: Heavenly Father, in a great measure, you've bestowed your grace upon me and extended your loving-kindness to every aspect of my life. You have found and established me in Christ, increasingly exerting your powerful influence in all I do. Therefore, I acknowledge and confess that you have been faithful to me; You have become my glorious strength. It pleases you to make me strong, healthy, wealthy, peculiar, prosperous, victorious and successful in all my ways. Powerful is your outstretched hand of goodness and mercy upon my life. Your right hand is lifted high to uphold me in your mighty power, and for everything you've done for me, I testify that you are good and your mercies endure forever, in Jesus' Name, Amen!
