Before we expect to receive any blessings from God, we should bless Him! We do that by acknowledging His majesty and splendor, by praising His holy Name. Our prayers should begin with adoration for our Mighty God and our days should commence with gratefulness to Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. Let’s get started.
Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD, O my soul!
I will praise the LORD while I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Psalm 146:1-2 (NASB)
Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant and praise is becoming. Psalm 147:1 (NASB)
God loves our praises and He is blessed by our devotion. Yet our worship, even all that is within us, doesn’t compare to His blessings poured out on us. Read Psalm 103:1-5 below. We began looking at this psalm last week.
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. (NASB)
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. (NASB)
Wow, if we think about all that God does for us, we truly do not have time for doubt and gloom. Our faces should be beaming with the light of our loving Father God. Let’s remember right now all of His benefits with references from His holy Word. And if you can’t put a check by God’s benefits, then wait patiently, trusting Him until He fulfills all His promises to you. He will do it!
1) He pardons all my iniquities! He forgives and releases me from sin.
- Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God—the LORD, the God of his fathers—even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 2 Chronicles 30:18-20 (NIV)
- All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
For the sake of your name, O LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Psalm 25:10-11 (NIV) - Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7 (NIV)
2) He heals all my diseases! He makes me well and restores me.
- ...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)
- He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 (NIV) - Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise. Jeremiah 17:14 (NIV)
3) He redeems my life from the pit! He bought me with His blood that I might have eternal salvation.
- “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. Exodus 6:6 (NIV)
- But God will redeem my life from the grave;
he will surely take me to himself. Psalm 49:15 (NIV) - Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Galatians 3:13 (NIV)
4) He crowns me with lovingkindness and compassion! His royal emblem is upon my head.
- He took the crown from the head of their king—its weight was a talent of gold, and it was set with precious stones—and it was placed on David’s head. 2 Samuel 12:30 (NIV)
- ...and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. Matthew 27:29 (NIV)
- Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 (NIV)
- I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one “like a son of man” with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Revelation 14:14 (NIV)
- I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Revelation 3:11 (NIV)
5) He satisfies me with good things and renews my strength. Because of Him, I am content.
- That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV)
- I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)
- Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)
Wow again! What a list of benefits from an awesome God who deserves our blessings. Now grab your Bibles, finish reading Psalm 103, and bless the Lord with all of your soul!
Amen. Praise the Lord!