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Bless the Lord, O My Soul

by Fenny West  
4/18/2008 / Bible Studies

A Psalm of David.
1 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 your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
(Ps103:1-5)

I may not feel like it on some days when it is cloudy and my sun has gone down, or when I have the wrong end of the stick or dealt a devastating blow. I may be going through some excruciating pain in my body or in my life. But the word of God tells me 'Bless the Lord O my soul.'
God is in control. He loves me, He cares for me, I am the apple of His eyes. He is good all the times regardless of the circumstances.

In fact in the passage of scripture the Psalmist takes time to tell us why he is telling his soul to bless the Lord and this is what we shall focus on in this article. how easy it is to forget what God has done for us in times past when we are going through the mill. That is why he tells his soul, 'Forget Not His benefits'
What are these benefits? He goes on to list 6 benefits:
1. He forgives all our sins
2. He heals us of all our diseases
3. He redeemed our lives from destruction
4. He crowns us with Love and compassion
5. He satisfies our mouths with good things and
6. Renews our youth like the eagles

Now notice, forgiveness of sin comes first. Isn't that amazing? That is the blessing of all blessings, the miracle of miracles- the assurance of forgiveness of sins, salvation. It is the sound and sign of peace with God and the gateway to the peace of God and other blessings from God. Without forgiveness of sins any blessings we receive will blind us and lead us into oblivion. I need to remind myself daily, bless the Lord, O my soul, He has forgiven your sins. You are now New Creature; the old has gone and the new has come. Your eternity has begun. You were dead in trespasses and sin, separated from the commonwealth of the promise of God, an alien, afar off, but He reconciled you to Himself. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The next blessing is healing. How inspire is this scripture again to rope in healing with salvation! How marvellous! Jesus did not just die for my sins; He also by His stripes purchased my healing- physical, emotional, mental and psychological. I can latch unto His word when faced with these issues today and pray; 'He took my infirmities and carried my sorrows and pains and by His stripes I am healed. There is balm in Gilead. His word is medicine to my body; it is spirit and life; it is powerful, dynamic living sharper than any two-edged sword. Jesus is my Great Physician I can count on that cleansing healing blood that flowed through His veins. He heals all my diseases!

He redeemed my life from destruction.
Even though I a saved, I am in a spiritual warfare and I have an enemy who sets snares to destroy me. In fact we are told in the scriptures that the adversary has come to kill steal and destroy. That is his job description. But bless the Lord O my soul, for the Lord who has come to give me life in its fullness. He came to open my eyes to the snares and wiles of the devil and redeem me buy- me back from the slave market of sin and death. Even if I fall mistakenly I have a compassionate Saviour who will reach down and pick me up. Bless the Lord O my soul. He redeemed your life from destruction your life is hidden in Christ in God. I am passed from death unto life. Christ had redeemed me from the curse of the law.

He crowns me with love and compassion.
O what a crown! O what a love- unfailing love, everlasting love, great love and unconditional love. It 'rises and reaches to the highest mountain. It flows through the lowest valley' Little wonder He did not spare Jesus but delivered Him to die for me. Greater love hath no than this man that a man should lay down his life for his friends, Jesus said. This love is not in words, it is moved into action. It sacrifices all for me. So bless the Lord o my soul.

He satisfies my mouth with good things.
What a Good Shepherd, Who daily loads me with benefits to enjoy. He supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.( Phil4:19) With Him on my side I shall not lack anything good. He leads me to my green pastures, there He restores my soul. He presides, so He provides for His sheep. ( Ps23) Bless the Lord, O my soul!

In time of need I will think of the times He supplied and look forward to His deliverance from poverty and lack and I will pray: 'You have redeemed me from the curse of the law so that the blessing of Abraham might rest on me. You are my Shepherd I shall not want. You will prepare a banquet for me in the presence of my enemies You will anoint my head with oil and my cup shall run over.'
'You will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly. I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. You said in Your Word; 1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper..(Ps1:1-3)

I thank you Lord that You promises are yes and amen in Christ! I will not be put to shame for putting my trust in You.
'He satisfies my mouth with Good things' does not mean that we don't come to bumps on the road to supply, but we can hold on to the promises and pray it back to God and look forward to a great expectation from a great God.

Renews our youth like the eagles
The story of how the eagle renews her strength is fascinating. At certain stages in the life of an eagle, the feathers become lose, weak and the eagle begins to struggle, unable to mount up to take advantage of the wind current as before. It is as if night has set in, its all over. However the eagle knows within it that it has an option- the complete shedding of the old feathers and returning with a brand new, resilient and formidable, shinning coat. You can see that the road to this glory is gory. but she must have guts and go for gold.

We are constantly in a spiritual warfare and we will grow weak from time to time especially after fighting horrendous battles which come in all forms, sizes and shapes. We need to be wise to retreat to the presence of the Lord and refuel. Without Him we can do nothing but with Him we are more than conquerors and can do all things He had foreordained for us.
David knew this secret when he penned One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple.
5 For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD. As the dear pants after water so my soul longs after you God told Moses, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock'' (Ex.33:21)

I pray that we will lay hold of this benefit and learn to wait on the Lord as to renew our strength and mount up with wings as the eagles, run and not be weary,, walk and not become tired or faint. In His presence is fullness of joy and at his right hand there are pleasures forever more. (Ps16:11)

We have many benefit in Christ and if we take time to search the scriptures we will find them especially in Paul's letters where they are often hinted or introduces with phrases such as 'In Whom.. Through whom,. In Christ..'

Bless the Lord O my soul, and forget not His benefits.

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