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. Psalm 103:1-2
Praise and worship is a sacrifice offered to deities. A sacrifice costs something. A genuine praise and worship transcends mere physical or mental exercise, it involves the spirit, soul, and body. The soul can be called our mind and it has a way of wandering around. The mind drifts here and there unless the Holy Spirit is involved to help in the place of prayer and worship.
David begins his own by prodding his soul to come around and bless the Lord. The phrase “to bless the Lord” means we have something to offer to the Lord. God desires and deserves for our souls to bless Him with sacrifices of praise and worship experience. No matter how poor you may think you are your soul has got something precious to offer the Lord. Worship and praise that emanate from the depths of your soul is a precious sacrifice that God cannot ignore.
You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (The Message version)
The idea of benefits is meaningful in some countries and societies where there are welfare systems. The citizens of such societies enjoy a certain support system from the government especially when they are in dire need. David urges his soul not to forget all the benefits of the Lord. These benefits are not peculiar to David but available to us all as kingdom citizens.
You can look around and note some of the Lord’s benefits worth to remember. David enumerates: “He forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. He redeems you from death and crowns you with love and tender mercies. He fills your life with good things. Your youth is renewed like the eagle’s! The LORD gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly”
How not to forget God’s Benefits!
Anything we do not want to forget, there are steps to take. We have to keep reminding ourselves from time to time. We may post or paste such things where we can see them. We may ask someone who is efficient and cares about us to keep reminding us. In the same way in order not to forget God’s benefits;
- We must always come before the Lord with praises for what He has done and still doing.
- We must always worship Him for who He is, not just His deeds.
- We must always study His word to remember His love, wonders, great and mighty works, and His beautiful plans for our lives.
- We must always ask the Holy Spirit to remind us from time to time of the multiple goodness of the Lord in our lives.
In this month of lifting, may we not forget the multiple and multifaceted benefits of the Lord in our lives.