Bless the LORD, O My Soul A Psalm Of David.
“Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds—He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion, who satisfies you with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel. The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the loving devotion of the LORD extends to those who fear Him, and His righteousness to their children’s children—to those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts. The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command. Bless the LORD, all His hosts, you servants who do His will. Bless the LORD, all His works in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!
“Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds…” These words introduce one of the most positive psalms in the entire collection. Look at all the reasons for praising God:
- Forgiveness of all our iniquities
- Healing of all our diseases
- Redeeming our lives from the Pit
- Crowning us with loving devotion and compassion
- Satisfying us with good things
- Renewing our youth like the eagle’s
- Executes righteousness and justice for all the oppressed
- Makes known His ways and His deeds
- Compassionate and gracious
- Slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion
- Refusing to harbor His anger forever
- Refuses to deal with us according to our sins or repay us according to our iniquities
Why is this? “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us… As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.”
“But from everlasting to everlasting the loving devotion of the LORD extends to those who fear Him, and His righteousness to their children’s children—to those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts. The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.” The best heritage you can leave your children is a heritage of faith.
“Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command. Bless the LORD, all His hosts, you servants who do His will. Bless the LORD, all His works
in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!” When we praise the Lord, we are joining the saints and angels and all creation. We might feel depressed and discouraged, but God will take our praise and multiply it.
APPLICATION: Sometimes people are hesitant to pray, fumbling for the words and feeling that nothing they say is good enough. But we can use this psalm as a prayer and God will honor our efforts. All we have to do is to thank God for each of His attributes.
But what happens if you have a chronic illness and you’re getting worse instead of better? What happens to the promises of healing? What if you are inspecting your aging body and realize your skin is wrinkling and you are growing shorter as your spine compresses? How does that promise of renewed youth work now?
We need to realize that God sees us differently than we see ourselves. Moses was 80 and Aaron was nearly the same age when God called them to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses had spent the last 40 years herding sheep in the desert, an activity that proved a good preparation for herding the Israelites. Noah was several hundred years old by the time the ark sailed. There are modern examples of musicians and artists who have remained highly productive into their nineties. When God calls, He empowers and He guides. Our job is to get into the right place for God to use us.
“Where there is life, there’s hope” is a famous saying from an earlier age. As long as we are alive, we have the chance to praise God and to seek His Will for our lives. Come, let us praise the Lord with everything that is in us as we join the saints and angels and all creation!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to praise You with all we have as long as we live. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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