"Bless The Lord, 0 My Soul"

by J.R. Luck, Cromer | Category: General | Aug 1971

"Read me the blessed psalm", said the sister in hospital, in answer to my query as to any particular passage she would like me to read. As I began to read Psalm 103 a rare light came into her poor eyes as she repeated, "Bless the LORD, 0 my soul". Thus David commences this well-loved psalm, and this expression, and those that follow, have been at once a challenge and an inspiration to countless thousands. It is our purpose, briefly, to consider the first five verses only, as they form the basis of all that wells up in the heart of the sweet singer of Israel in praise to God for all His benefits. He seems keenly aware that these demand a spontaneous response. In this aspect praise is a very personal thing, an individual reaction for individual blessings.

In contrast to this aspect, from the day "when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38:7), praise had arisen cosmically to God, Creator and Benefactor. Prior to the entry of sin the music of the spheres was all harmonious, not a discordant note was heard under heaven. Universally, henceforth, a groan would be heard from which creation will be delivered only when Christ comes again.

But now, to us who are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, a new song has been given, tuned in to the heavenly choir, praise to our God for evermore. David spoke often of this (see Psalm 32:1-2) and if he, and Old Testament worthies, in anticipation of the Cross, were happy because of sin forgiven, shame on us if all within us does not daily emit a song of praise for all His grace and love.

In this psalm David enumerates some of his blessings, but as though the list is far from complete he enj6ins, "And forget not all His benefits". How readily do we praise God for outstanding blessings (as we deem them)! But to be sincerely grateful we should include the small and seemingly trivial. Indeed, there will be things in our cup which, at first, seem bitter, but they are sent to prove us and may turn out to be blessings of greatest magnitude. May we mean it when we sing,

"We give Thee thanks for every drop, The bitter and the sweet".

Causes for praise are many, indeed innumerable, but David lists a few here which are found in our own experience. Let us look at some of them:

"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities" (verses 3,10,12). This must ever be the first note in our hallelujah's. It is verily our greatest boon. The grace of God, in Christ, hath appeared bringing salvation, and to those who, in faith, enter into that experience "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us". We, with David, rejoice at the forgiveness of transgressions, the covering of sin and the nonimputation of iniquity. Clothed with the robe of His righteousness, with Isaiah, we greatly rejoice, and a song of praise to our redeeming God and to His beloved Son bursts from our grateful hearts and finds expression on our lips.

"Who healeth all thy diseases" (v. 3). As the advent of sin brought disharmony to the spheres it also resulted in an imbalance of physical health. The word health implies a condition of wholeness, unity, balance. Part of the entail of sin is disease, a lack of harmony between the members and functions of the body frame. It is God alone who restores that harmony and, thereby, a state of renewed health; and this, whether we depend upon the prayer of faith, or consult and submit to surgeon or practitioner, for God has gifted such with remedial knowledge, so that it is "the LORD that healeth thee" (Exodus 15:26; Matt. 8:17).

"Who redeemeth thy life from destruction" (v.4), that is, life in its many facets. We depend upon God for safety and deliverance from physical accident and death. Never was this more apparent than in this day of rapid transport by air, land and sea. How often we say, as we look back, "if it had not been that the Lord had delivered, what might have happened". He delivers the soul, the moral man, from falling a prey to evil, providing a way of escape. The spiritual man is delivered from making shipwreck of his faith and one day He will present him faultless before the throne in glory. "To the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and evermore. Amen".

"Who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies" (v.4). "Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness; all Thy paths drop fatness" (Psalm 65:11). God never stints, He gives His blessings, "good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over". The remarkable thing is we never reach saturation point, for, with added blessings, He gives capacity to receive and enjoy these tokens of His love in a maturing spiritual experience. Moment by moment, through all the years, His love has encompassed and His goodness has crowned our days (verses 13-17).

"Who satisfieth thy mouth (years R.V.M.) with good things". Through all the years of our pilgrimage God's blessings are truly satisfying for they are ministered to the whole man, body, soul and spirit; bringing a sense of peace and joy which cannot be had elsewhere. His blessings never pall, but are always sparkling-fresh and precious. The world can offer nothing to compare with this satisfaction as we drink at the fountain of His love.

"So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle" (v.5). The secret of perennial youth spiritually is bound up with God's blessings. These daily mercies condition our lives and give those inward resources of the Spirit which are resilient and responsive whatever the climate of outward circumstance; they are the foil which checks and neutralizes the poison of the world's impact. "Even the youths" says Isaiah, "shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah '40:30,31).

"Bless the LORD, 0 my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name

"Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, Who, like me, His praise should sing?"

J.R. Luck, Cromer | Aug 1971
General