Psalms 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 forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
We are to bless the Lord in every situation of life. And as we choose to bless the Lord, the Lord will supernaturally bless us with the desires of our heart.
What is the full meaning of bless?
The dictionary meaning of bless is:
- Worship
- Praise
- Honor
- Pay tribute to
- Pay homage to
- Give thanks to
- Reverence
The psalmist is telling us in Psalms 103: 1 - 5 to bless the Lord, we are called to bless the Lord at all times. There are lots of example in the living WORD of God that exhorts us to always bless the Lord.
The Lord is good and He is good all the time, it's not only in the good times that the Lord is to be blessed, it's at all times. He said in Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
And in 2 Corinthians 12:10 Paul said
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
God said in Psalm 84:11
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
Therefore, at all times we are to bless the Lord. He is faithful and good.
God does not do evil, how can a good God do evil. He called us His children. He sent His Son to save us from the hands of Satan. He cares for us even more than we care for ourselves.
Bless the Lord O my soul.
We are to bless Him from within us - our spirit man. And as we do this there will be a change in every area of our lives.
David spoke about the soul.
What is the Soul?
Soul is defined as one person, or is the Spirit and essence of a person. An example of our soul is the part of us that makes us who we are and that will live on after our death. An example of soul is the part of us that will go to heaven and be immortal, according to the teachings of certain religion.
So, we to bless the Lord with everything that is in us. With our soul we contact the intellectual world - our mind, will and emotions.
David a man of God said in this Psalm that all that is within him, is to bless His Holy Name!
We are to worship, praise , honour, give thanks to the Lord and reverence Him with all that is in us. We are to speak to our soul like David did to his, and not to forget all His benefits. It's so easy to forget everything that the Lord has done for us, especially when we are in the midst of a trial. But if we can remember that the Lord that saw us through that trial is still the same God who is always the same yesterday, today , and forever. If He has done it before He will do it again because of His faithfulness.
He is not a God that lies and can never repent. He is a God that desires the best for His children. So let's not forget all that He did before and bless Him for what He is about to do now in our lives.
David said his soul is to bless the Lord, because He forgives all his iniquities including ours:
Scriptures on God's forgiveness
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Isaiah 43: 25-26
“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;
And I will not remember your sins.
Put Me in remembrance;
Let us contend together;
State your case, that you may be acquitted.
Isaiah 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together,
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
We are to bless the Lord because He alone heals all our diseases.
The Lord is the Great Physician and heals all our diseases. He healed me of Sickle Cell Disease when He appeared to me and like I say to people that if He can heal me of this disease after 30 years then He can and will heal all types of disease.
He said He is the God of all flesh and that there is nothing He cannot do. When I met Jesus and He healed me of the disease, I came to a full understanding that He is a God that does not want any of His children to be sick. God does not punish us with sickness or disease or poverty, He redeemed us from the curse of the law.
Someone might be saying as they reading this, that they have had their sickness for years and they still feel the same. I would say to them that Jesus died for us all and He went through the anguish for our freedom. He bought and paid the price in full because He loves us all and He does care for us in His love.
He as already done it all, we need to trust Him and go into His WORD by checking the healing scriptures, meditating on the scripture and accept the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Scriptures on Healing
Isaiah 53: 4-5
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
Exodus 23:25
So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.
Mark 5: 21 - 34
Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.
Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”
Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”
But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”
And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
Bless the Lord o my soul for He heals all my diseases!
Psalm 103: 4 says
Who redeems our life from destruction, who crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercy
Galatians 3:13 records this promise:
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)
Jesus Christ redeemed us all from the curse
To redeem is;
- Save
- Rescue
- Gain or regain possession of something in exchange for payment
Jesus gave up His life, so as to buy us back from the Kingdom of darkness. He did that so that our life can be free from destruction.
John 10:10
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Deuteronomy 4: 30 - 31
When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.
He now crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies
2 Timothy 4:8
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Revelation 3:11
Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
James 1:12
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Who satisfies our mouth with good things,so that our youth is renewed like the eagles.
What the Holy Spirit explained to me is that God satisfies our lives spiritually and physically, when we choose to abide in His WORD we are blessed and prosperous by it in the spiritual and physical aspect of it. He gives us His strength and energy and through this our youth is renewed like the eagles. This shows the goodness of God in every area of our lives.
John 4: 13 -14
Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
Psalms 22:26
The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.
Let your heart live forever!
Philippians 4: 10 - 13
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
We are to bless the Lord at all times. And in the process of our blessing the Lord He does exceedingly, abundantly above that which we ask or think of. His WORD says to us that eye has not seen, ear has not heard and it has not entered into the heart of man what the Lord has in store for those who love Him.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!!
Acts 16: 16 - 40
Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
Paul and Silas were imprisoned and instead of complaining or been bitter they PRAYED and SANG hymns to the Lord, not quietly but with a loud voice because the other prisoners heard them and in the process of blessing the Lord the prison doors opened supernaturally.
In our time of trials do we bless the Lord or complain? To bless the Lord as instructed by David is to be free supernaturally. Letting Heaven hear our praises will bring us a breakthrough like in the life of Paul and Silas.
I choose to bless the Lord at all times in any season of life. Let's bless his Holy name.
Psalms 34: 1 - 2
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
