SOUNDING
OUT:
An Eruption Of Praise
Last night as I laid down to sleep,
my heart erupted with “Bless the Lord, O my soul!”
No sooner had these words left my lips then I followed
them up with the rest of Psalms 103:1-5.
Psalm 103:1-5:
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.
I don’t remember ever consciously
committing those verses to memory, but obviously I had
read and enjoyed them enough that they had made an impression
on my heart. Although I was intent on going to sleep,
this short 30 second detour brought a smile to my face
and great contentment to my heart.
When I awoke this morning, these words
were the first ones on my mind. I reflected on how the
Psalmist talked to himself and guided his heart in the
way. So, I followed them up again with a clever conversation
with myself. One in which I encouraged myself in the lord.
I went at it with gusto. I asked myself, “When was
the last time you sang or spoke praise to God with all
that is within you?” My answer to myself was, “When
you love God with all your, heart, soul, mind, and strength
and express it—you are.”
By the time I arrived at work I was
intent on checking the phrase “O my soul,”
curious as to how often it occurred in the Psalms and
what I would glean from checking it out. I found eleven
occurrences, three times in the same sentence. Besides
Psalms 103:1 & 2, it occurs in the following places:
Psalm 16:2:
O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my
Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;
Psalm 42:5,11:
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou
disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet
praise him for the help of his countenance.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou
disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall
yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance,
and my God.
Psalm 43:5:
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou
disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise
him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Psalm 103:22:
Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion:
bless the LORD, O my soul.
Psalm 104:1:
Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very
great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
Psalm 104:35:
Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let
the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul.
Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 116:7:
Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt
bountifully with thee.
Psalm 146:1
Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Speaking to your soul is simply speaking
to yourself. David encouraged himself in the Lord (I Samuel
30:6). We dare not rely on words of encouragement from
others; they may never come. However, following the example
of the psalmists, we can speak the Word to ourselves and
encourage ourselves in the Lord.
The repetition of “Bless the Lord,
O my soul” in verses one and two is emphatic. It
shows the resolve of the psalmist to guide his heart in
the way (Proverbs 23:19). Whether spontaneous or deliberate
he directs himself in the way to go. Then the repetition
of “Who” at the beginning of the next five
phrases form a beautiful anaphora that answers to the
direction just given to forget not all His benefits.
If I am any kind of example, human beings
tend to be forgetful creatures. Perhaps that is why the
Word is full of exhortations to “remember”
or “forget not.” Indeed, the psalmist sings
of personal benefits he received in the first five verses,
none of which could move or affect him unless he held
them in his remembrance. In Psalm 116:12, the psalmist
asks, “What shall I render unto the LORD for all
his benefits toward me?” That presupposes an acknowledgement
of the benefits. If we forget the benefits, surely we
will not be disposed to do anything on account of them.
The Lord forgives, heals, redeems, crowns,
and satisfies. Our forgiveness, healing redemption, coronation,
and satisfaction come from Him. What company today could
boast of a benefit package like that? Where would we seek
employment if we knew of one? The more distinct our awareness
of His gracious working in our lives the more responsive
and exuberant our praise can become.
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:
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