Psalm 103:1, 2 - Praise The Lord, O My Soul; And All That Is Within Me, Praise His Holy Name.
Psalm 103:1, 2 - Praise The Lord, O My Soul; And All That Is
Within Me, Praise His Holy Name.
Psalm 103:1, 2 (NIV) Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost
being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not
all his benefits.
Psalm 103:1, 2 (NLT) Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my
whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the
Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.
Some people live on the dark side of the moon. Phone them and
they give you an earful about how the world is mistreating them. They
can't think of anything for which to be thankful, and reminding them
of their blessings only seems to irritate them.
Psalm 103 provides a great example. It's a
count-your-blessings psalm, a simple reminder to be thankful.
The psalms before and after this one also give us reasons to
be thankful. Psalm 102 teaches us how to receive God's comfort when
we're in distress. Psalm 104 helps us appreciate God through his
creation and the way he cares for it.
David's praise in Psalm 103 focused on God's glorious deeds
(103:3-19). People often complain when they are tired, needy, and
frustrated. But David's list gives us plenty for which to praise God: God
forgives our sins, heals our diseases, redeems us from death, crowns us
with love and compassion, satisfies our desires, and intervenes for
people who suffer injustice (103:1-22).
The best part is that we receive all these blessings without
deserving any of them. And God never shows partiality - giving good things
to his favorites and leaving out the others.
No matter how difficult your circumstances are today, count
your blessings - past, present, and future. Keep them in mind when
you feel as though you have nothing for which to praise God. If that
doesn't work, remind yourself of what God has done for you by reading
David's list. [The One Year Through the Bible Devotional by Dave
Veerman]
Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote one of the English
languages most powerful love poems. It begins:
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight and it ends
With my lost saints"I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!"and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Brownings powerful poem wasnt the first to count
loves ways. The first was David, who a thousand years before Christ
set down a list in Psalm 103 of ways in which God loves you and me.
And his list is far more specific, far more extensive, and far more
wonderful than Brownings.
How does God love us? He forgives our sins and heals our
diseases (v. 3). He preserves our life and crowns us with love and
compassion (v. 4). He satisfies our desires with good things (v. 5). He
works justice for the oppressed (v. 6). He made known His ways to
Moses and revealed Himself in historys mighty acts (v. 7).
And the list goes on.
He is compassionate and slow to anger (v. 8). He does not
treat us as our sins deserve (v. 10).
And still there is more. Far too much to record in this brief
meditation.
But if life ever seems hard and the future so bleak that you
can see nothing but darkness ahead, turn in your Bible to this psalm
that celebrates Gods love. As you count with David the ways that
God loves you, the darkness will break. And, with David, you will be
lifted up to sing Gods praise. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
Christians of times past felt that prayer found its greatest
inspiration in the Lord himself, and they had a term called "pleading God's
attributes," in which they would recount particular attributes of God's
character to him and then ask him to answer their prayer on the basis of
those attributes: "Lord, you are merciful and gracious, so have mercy
on me." "Lord, you are full of unfailing love. Show us your love in
this situation." "Lord, you delivered your servant Daniel; I pray for
your deliverance in my life." "You revealed your character and deeds
to Moses and your people. Likewise, please reveal yourself to me!"
Since God's attributes are numerous throughout Scripture, they provide
a never-ending source of inspiration for our prayer life. Praying
God's attributes renews our faith and confidence and reminds us of his
greatness and his ability to save. Choose one of the attributes of God
from this psalm to "plead" as you pray today.
LORD, you are _______ [merciful, gracious, full of unfailing
love]. I ask you to reveal this in my life today. Thank you for
revealing your wondrous attributes to us in your Word. As I read it,
continually open my eyes to who you really are so that my prayers will rest
on the solid foundation of your character. May my prayer have power
because they are based on the truth about you. [Praying Through The
Bible By Fuller re vv. 3-8]
Yesterday, Today, And Tomorrow
Pastor Rick Warren says, "Remind yourself of God's goodness
yesterday, God's presence today, God's promises for tomorrow." If we want
reassurance that he is perfectly good, perfectly wise, and all-powerful, the
Bible vividly recounts his righteous deeds and saving acts, his mighty
acts of goodness.
We also need to remind ourselves of God's goodness to us
personally then and now. How have you experienced his goodness in your
life? What would happen if you kept a record of all the glorious
things God does for you, so you could look back at it when you need
encouragement? The psalmist says to God, "You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar" (Psalm 139:2). He says God is
there with him wherever he goes.
Finally, we remind ourselves of his promises for tomorrow,
such as "'Because he loves me,' says the LORD, 'I will rescue him; I
will protect him, for he acknowledges my name' " (Psalm 91:14).
Remembering what God has done, thanking him for what he is
doing, and hoping in what he is going to do will keep our hearts and
minds steadfast. [The Daniel Plan 365-Day Devotional re Psa. 71:15]
TESTIMONY
A 70 year old inmate at BCCC and friend of Billy Graham, gave a
very moving prayer at Yokefellows one evening. He came in as we were
asking for a volunteer to have opening prayer. He excused himself for
coming in late and offered to pray. He quoted the first two lines of
this Psalm then continued to pray. It was such a moving way to pray
that I ask him later which Psalm he quoted. He said he didnt
know, but that the man who raised him would always quote this Psalm
before just about anything he would do i.e. prayer, Bible study, or
whatever. He said he grew up with this experience and this Psalm just
became a part of his life.
GREAT MUSICAL PRESENTATION ON THIS SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
"Count Your Blessings" By The Martins (2010):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juJFYNCj1Ws
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2011/20110504-1555.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES AND SEMINARS
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: http://www.bibleresearch.info/
http://www.aBible.com
