Meditate. What song is in your heart and in your head?
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: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good [things; so that] thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. ... The LORD [is] merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. ... For as the heaven is high above the earth, [so] great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us. ... But the mercy of the LORD [is] from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Psalm 103:1-5, 8, 11-12, 17-19 KJV
Songs stick with you. What song is going through your head today?
When I was in high school choir we sang “Bless the Lord, O My Soul” and more than fifty years later—I’m still singing that song among others. Mostly in my head…but also in my heart. Today that song wouldn’t be allowed in a public school where no mention of God is generally permitted. The song we sang was based on the King James Version of Psalm 103. Bless the Lord/O my soul/and all that is within me bless His Holy Name/for He is righteous and plenteous in mercy/Bless the Lord/O my soul/O my soul/and worship His Holy Name.
Bless the Lord. Frequently we ask
the Lord to bless us…or to bless a family member, friend or neighbor—but how
often do you “bless” the Lord? Bless as in adoration, praise or thanksgiving.
This blessing is usually done on one’s knees. There are many instances in
scripture concerning blessings, but mainly they talk about the Lord blessing
others. Here is one example of blessing the Lord.
LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
You guard all that is mine. The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What
a wonderful inheritance! I will bless the LORD who guides me; even at
night my heart instructs me. I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be
shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
My body rests in safety. Psalm 16:5-9 (Underlined for emphasis.)
My cup of blessing.
My cup runs over.
Bless the Lord!
As he wrote this Psalm, David focused his recognition of all that the Lord was doing in his life and how God blessed him, but he also praised and blessed the Lord.
I see “blessing” as an expression
of love. We ask God to bless those we care about—even ourselves. By “blessing”
the Lord we are expressing our love for Him. He wants our love just as much as
we want His.
Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And
you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all
your strength. Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Even Jesus taught the importance
of loving God, quoting that same scripture from Deuteronomy. Love is the most
basic emotion of life. We all need love…without it we die. Love God. Love your
neighbor as yourself. May the song in your heart and in your head be one of
blessing the Lord…and caring about others.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8
Prayer ~ Lord God, bless You—for You are worthy of all praise, glory and honor. Great are You, LORD! You are most worthy of praise! No one can measure your greatness. From Psalm 145:3
Verses of Salvation ~ For the
choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the LORD. He sang this song to
the LORD on the day the LORD rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. He
sang: I love you, LORD; you are my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress,
and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield,
the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the LORD, who is
worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-3
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