Bless the Lord, O My Soul!
Psalm 103:1-2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;
I had such a wonderful day yesterday! An afternoon spent in fellowship with my Bestie – Barb, in the midst of our BEST Bestie – Jesus, because “where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am in their midst.” (Matthew 18:19)
It doesn’t matter where we meet or how often we have our playdate, regardless of the issues surrounding our lives on this sometimes chaotic planet, His name and His work in our lives and the lives of our families will always become THE TOPIC. When we swerve into “other” areas, there is a voice in each of our ears, turning us back to the ONLY TOPIC worth our time and attention… Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
After lunch and coffee (our preferred playground for our playdates), I stopped next door to bring home dinner for me and my other bestie – my Best Hubby! As I was waiting for my order, I was asked what made me so happy today.
Do you ever wish you could go back and give a different answer?
Questions like this tend to stop me from thinking. Literally, my mind tends to go blank and words don’t surface until the moment has come and gone. LATER, the list of should’ve, could’ve, wish I would’ve said, begins to dull this child’s glow from the spectacular playground time.
I think I mumbled something about having a wonderful life that I do not deserve… AND I DO (have a wonderful life I do not deserve)… but why, why, why didn’t I tell the story ( I Love to Tell the Story)?
The story of just coming from the Church of Bestie Fellowship. The story where we were covered in love, and grace, and mercy, and Holy Spirit fruit, and Holy Ground dancing with our Savior?
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Am I bragging? Not about me! It wasn’t my wonderful life that made me glow with happy, it was the pouring out of God from His throne room, covering us with Himself.
It’s ALL about Him! No, definitely not bragging… WORSHIPPING!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. (Psalm 103:3-5)
The Lord performs righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. (Psalm 103:8-10)
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. (Psalm 103:12-14)
As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer.
But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep His covenant And remember His precepts to do them. (Psalm 103:17-18)
The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.
This is the playground song my bestie and I sang and danced to. At the end of the day, both of us were smiling with a happiness that transcends enjoying a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
Today, as I answer the question, “What makes me so happy that I glow with happiness?”, my answer is…
EVERY DAY and EVERY MOMENT that “I kneel; as an act of adoration” (*Strong’s Concordance – definition of the primitive root “bless” when speaking of blessing God), surrounds me with the sweet, sweet perfume of the incense I lift up to Him in testimony to the redemption and sanctification He is working in my life and the lives of those He loves.
Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will. Bless the Lord, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; (Psalm 103:20-22)
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Thanks Barb, for going to church with me. I love you to the moon and back!
**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.