April 18, 2024

Bless the Lord, o my Soul

thanksgivweekblogpic

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.
Psalms 103:1 and 2

Now that is what I want to do! How about you? Of course…it comes so easily to the heart of one of God’s children! Oh, how we love to praise and declare His goodness!

I will [earnestly] recall the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will [earnestly] remember the wonders of old.
I will meditate also upon all Your works and consider all Your [mighty] deeds.
Psalms 77:11 and 12

Haven’t we all had times when you have so palpably experienced the goodness and faithfulness of God so intensely that you want to leap in the air and shout and say, “How could I ever doubt You, my God, after this? How could I ever again despair of your help?” And we go along remembering His goodness and blessing…and then…some short time later…we falter. We find ourselves doing just that—being discouraged, and doubting, forgetting our confidence in the goodness and greatness of God. Why does this happen? Perhaps because we so easily forget the evidences of God’s goodness which we ourselves have experienced; not to mention the vast number of records in Scriptures which tell us of God’s faithfulness and His goodness.

What are some of His ‘mighty deeds’…the ‘wonders of old’ spoken of in Psalm 77? Think about it; I am sure you won’t need to think but a moment to recall God’s awesome works! Here’s a few that immediately came to mind—and these are all from the very first book in the Bible:

  • God spoke into existence His Creation (Genesis 1:3-31)
  • God gave Noah His plan for saving a remnant of mankind, along with the animals and the birds (Genesis 6:13-21)
  • God protected mankind from making too much of themselves (Genesis 11:3-9)
  • God promised (Genesis 18:10-15) AND then made a way for a 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman to conceive a child (Genesis 21:1-7)
  • God provided in an incredible way as Abraham intended to sacrifice to God his precious boy…obeying to the uttermost (Genesis 22:1-14)

That God is GREAT in every imaginable way that greatness could possibly be described should be obvious to everyone. Paul reminds us,

Ever since the creation of the world, His invisible nature, namely, His eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So men are without excuse for, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or give him thanks.
Romans 1:20 and 21

We ARE without excuse if we are not continually voicing our gratitude and our thanks! Our great God, the Great I AM, has done many and mighty works throughout time! And His lovingkindness and goodness continue…His faithfulness to each of us is incredible! We each have numerous stories to share praising God for His incredible blessings in our lives. Every day in a variety of ways we should be expressing our thanks.

I will praise the name of God with a song. I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 69:30

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God,
that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.
Hebrews 13:15

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High;
Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.
He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;
And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.
Psalms 50:14 and 15, 23

* * * * * * *

My prayer…for you and me; let us bless the Lord with all that is within us:
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
My soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.
Psalms 34:1-3