09/06/2023 – Bless the Lord, Oh my Soul!
Psalms 103: Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3 Who forgives all thine iniquities; who heals all thy diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 5 Who satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The Lord executes righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. 7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
====================================================================
One of the best examples of meditation is Psalm 103. Here we find David thinking about who God is and what God has done for him. He is not only thinking, but also preaching to himself the word of God. Before you can preach the word of God to others, you must preach it to yourself.
David issues a proclamation to his own soul. A proclamation is a godly statement, centered in the word of God and declared with authority. When we confess Christ with the authority of the Spirit, and we certify our words with actions, the word of God completes the purpose for which God sent it. Proclamation begins with us. We find an amazing example of self-proclamation in Psalm 103. David is speaking to himself, commanding his own soul to bless the Lord.
Self-control is the fruit of the Spirit. When we think about self-control, we usually think in terms of restraining our carnal impulses- controlling our thoughts, our actions, our tongue. This is an important aspect of self-control, but not the only one. We must also guide our thoughts and actions to do what pleases God.
David issues a command to his own soul: bless the Lord! David does not just speaks to his fingers, although he was a proficient musician on the lyre. Even demons would flee when David played for the Lord. Not his voice either, although David is called the sweet singer of Israel. These are important elements in worship, especially for those who lead worship. In the Old Covenant temple there was a team of musicians that praised God around the clock, and they were experts. But the essential source of worship is our soul. Worship must involve the soul and all that is within us.
The word “Bless” in the original Hebrew is the word (bā·ră·ḵ), which means to kneel. It is easier for our body to kneel than it is for our soul. Kneeling is a demonstration of submission and acknowledgment of the power of God over us. We must praise God from a position of humility and obedience. To truly bless God, we must believe and obey His word. We must offer ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice!