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PSALM 103:1 “BLESS THE LORD, OH MY SOUL; AND ALL THAT IS WITHIN ME, BLESS HIS HOLY NAME!” (KJV, NKJV, NASB, ASV, RSV, TLB)
A Song to Remember: Gaither Homecoming, Bless the Lord
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3pQOmFts0E
Take a moment and enjoy this wonderful anthem. Listen to it a couple of times. This brings back lots of good memories.
During my Air Force tour at Cannon Air Force Base, NM back in the mid 1980’s, I was hired to be the minister of music a First Church of the Nazarene in Clovis. At the start of every Sunday morning service, I directed three beats, Tammy hit those four familiar entry notes and I led the choir in a rousing chorus of “Bless the Lord, Oh my soul…” Tammy played it so well and our very-talented choir sang it so well that the church joined in triumphantly with our opening praise of worship to the Lord.
Sometimes, we can enjoy what we are singing so much that the meaning of what we are singing just passes us by. I hope that our joyful voices were, in fact, blessing the Lord. We certainly enjoyed singing that chorus…we lifted our voices in boisterous, triumphant praise. We sang “with all that was within us.”
In the next line, the songwriter states, “He has done great things, bless His holy name.” That could certainly be directing us toward the Psalmists thoughts in the next verses. He reminds us to bless the Lord and not forget all His benefits. I think of other songs like “Count your blessings” “Look what the Lord has done!” and “Wonderful Merciful Savior” where the writers tell us to remember what the Lord has done.
Verse 3 reminds us that He forgives our iniquities and heals our diseases. He redeems our life from destruction and crowns us with lovingkindness and mercy (verse 4). He goes on to list other blessings from Him like satisfying our mouths with good things (I love a great steak!), renewing our youthful strength (even if only once in a while as we get older), executes righteousness and grants justice for the oppressed. He is merciful, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. Just look at what He has done for us!
Frequently, we need to just step back from all our individual problems that seem so overwhelming and get another view of how great He truly is. That kind of exercise kind of puts into perspective all the troublesome things we think are so overwhelming yet are well within the control of He who controls it all. We need to be reminded of that once in a while, huh?
When was the last time you just “took stock” of all the wonderful things the Lord has done for us long enough to maybe forget about all your aches and pains? I’m getting older now and I know it starts to hurt more and more with time…but once in a while, just forget about all YOUR problems and YOUR situation and just bless the Lord!
This phrase actually expresses the interesting fact that it is even possible for US to bless Him! Think of the last time someone blessed you. Maybe a truly inspirational song made your heart sing too and it blessed you. Maybe someone paid you a kindness that was unexpected or completely unnecessary…but a total blessing from the blue. Or maybe a fellow brother or sister in the Lord showed you some completely unexpected love and understanding when you thought everyone had deserted you and it “blessed your socks off!”
When was the last time you just opened up your heart and tried to bless Him? Usually it is “Oh, Lord, I want…” “Oh Jesus, I need…” “Oh Father, if you don’t fix this, I won’t make it.” Instead, maybe, “Lord, what do you need today?” “What do you need me to do or say to show the world your glory and love?”
Do you ever remember doing something for someone just so you could make them happy? If not, you are long overdue. I remember once in a while surprising Cheryl by taking her to the top of Kaden Tower on the east side of Louisville where you could watch the sun set in the west, while listening to soft, soothing piano music while she enjoyed the best filet mignon steak…just because of how much I knew she loved doing that. That always made her happy. That always blessed her.
Do you even know what makes the Lord happy like that? He is a person, who lived among us for thirty three years and enjoyed some of the same things we enjoyed. We many times take for granted or don’t even notice the little things He just sends along our way…sometimes because He knows it will just make us happy. Do you have any idea what you could do for Him or say to Him that you would say or do just to make Him happy? If not, maybe you ought to ask Him.
“Father, I know I have attended church to just worship you so many times out of routine…today, I want to enter the courts of your presence with praise in an attempt to just bless you!” “Lord, I have seen that beggar on the same corner every day for the past week and I know he probably has no good intention beyond survival for himself. But I believe that by blessing him in some way (maybe even give him some money) I might actually be able to bless you!”
“Jesus, I’m not real crazy about our praise and worship team…they are too loud, they sing off key, the lights hurt my head…but I’m going to close my eyes to it all long enough to sing the words they are leading and raise my hands and praise you and see if it is possible to bless you.” “Lord, this lady lost her husband last week. Is it possible that by blessing her with some small kindness, I can also maybe bless you?”
Jesus said a strange thing when He was here. In Matthew 25:40, He expressed what I like to call “the ministry of transference.” He said, “as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to Me.” They said to the King, when did we feed you or give you a drink? When did we clothe you or visit you in prison (or the hospital)? The king in that parable told that servant, “when you did those things for the least of these, you were doing it to me.”
Jesus could do all those things all by Himself…He is God! Instead, He asks us to do them. And, in doing them, in addition to providing the blessing to others, He transfers and receives the blessing to Himself as well!
Just show me where, Lord! Show me who to touch! Show me where to give. Help me to also recognize that, by giving to them, I am giving to YOU.
How can I bless you Lord? Let me hear Your voice as You answer that question while I am singing (with all that is within me), “Bless the Lord, Oh my soul; and all that is within me, Bless Your holy name!”
Questions to Consider: What does it mean to bless someone? How is it possible to bless the Lord who created and owns everything? What do you remember that blessed you in a great way and how can that idea be used to bless the Lord? Is the Lord blessed by our acknowledgement of our great need of Him? Exactly how does He transfer our service to others to Himself? What has been the greatest blessing Jesus has blessed you with? What does, “all that is within me” mean?
Other Scriptures to Study: Psalm 51:7 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart – These, O God, You will not despise.” Ps 135:19 “Bless the Lord, O house of Israel!” James 3:9 “With it we bless our God and Father…” Ps 145:10 “All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You.”1 Chronicles 29:11 “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty…”
 
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