One of our greatest benefits as created human beings is the opportunity we have to lift up our souls and bless the name of our God! It’s something that when we do this, it fills our hearts with His glory and goodness! The deepest places of our being can lift up a song to our God, and exclaim great things about Him, His nature, His faithfulness, and His greatness!
Psalm 34: 1-5 says, “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!” (ESV).To bless the LORD means to express our feelings of gratitude, and thanks, to speak words that display our honor towards, endearment of, or cherished attributes endowed to our most holy God! When we turn our hearts toward heaven and we declare His grander, and we look favorably toward our God, then we are blessing the LORD at all times.
What happens in our daily lives, many times, is that we start to get a disgruntled feeling toward God, and a feeling of dissatisfaction when things are difficult, delayed, or disappointing. When things aren’t going our way, we start to have complaints and express our frustrations instead of our gratitude. But when we stop and remember. . . we can recall to mind the many ways in which He has been good to us, far more than what we would have deserved without his grace.
David does this is Psalm 103:1-2; “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.”John Piper with Desiring God. Org, writes that to bless the Lord means that we are to say good things about, speak of his wonders, tell of his greatness! I would concur!My father has always quoted verbatim the words of David, in that passage of Psalm 103, but has always continued on for the first five verses, which describes those many benefits . . . picking up in verse three. . . “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.” When we see the LORD’s goodness in all these categories: forgiveness of sins, healing, redemption, showering us with His love and mercy, and giving us so many good things that provide nourishment and physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual renewal for us, we can with all our hearts, and souls, Bless the LORD! And Bless Him at ALL Times!
Article Written by: Dr. Deborah Reynolds-Harper
