Bless the Lord O My Soul
Psalms 103:1-5 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.
Isn’t it great to begin your day with a blessing? I read my Bible every day, and most days I write a devotional to accompany my reading. Recently, I have been reading from 1 John, but today I awoke with Psalm 103 on my lips, and so I write today’s devotional based upon that psalm.
Psalm 103 begins with praising God with all that is within me, with nothing held back. I remember His many blessings, so how can I do anything but praise Him? He forgives my sins, anything that separates me from Him. He heals me, He has bought me back from the sin that would have destroyed me, and places a crown upon my head, which one day I will lay at His feet.
This past weekend God blessed me with the privilege of baptizing my precious great granddaughter, Claira Josephine. I love her parents so very much, and I am so thankful to have the benefit to bask in their love for each other and their daughter. As I read the liturgy of the Church and scooped the water from the Baptismal Font with a shell, pouring it over her head as her dad held her and her mom waited to dry her off, I was overwhelmed with God’s love and faithfulness. And, I am confident that her parents, grandparents and great grandparents will cover her in prayer daily, leading her to know, believe and understand that when the Holy Spirit beckons her, she will respond, moving her from prevenient (preventing) grace to justifying grace and ultimately sanctifying grace.
May we continue to praise God for all He has done and for all He will do. And as I read Hab 3:17-18, where the questioning prophet finally understands God’s character, I remind each of us that it is our duty and our blessing to praise God regardless of our circumstances. And, as the Message, a contemporary version of the Bible reads: Psalms 23:6 (MSG) 6 Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of GOD for the rest of my life.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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