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July 1, 2020

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Bless the Lord O My Soul

"Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name." Psalm 103:1

David had desperately fallen in sin with Bathsheba and had mournfully sought the Lord in confession and repentance. Now, forgiven and restored, he seems to be utterly consumed with the burning desire of heart and spirit to praise and bless the Lord as he cries out, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me." He has reached a zenith of praise in which he is inadequate to express the depth of his soul, everything within him, the whole of his being cries out..."Bless the Lord!" Then he goes a step farther. He not only blesses the Lord for the reconciliation he has received, but for "who He is." "Bless His holy name." Among all of God's attributes, it is His holiness, in all of its perfection, that stamps a worth and excellence on all of His attributes! It is the foundation upon which His other attributes rest.

David, having spent much time in the "secret place of the Most High," had entered into a deeper appreciation of the holiness of God. When Moses encountered God, God revealed His holiness at the burning bush that was not consumed. "Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thy standeth is holy ground." Isaiah had a transforming encounter with God in his vision. "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up. Above it stood the seraphim, and one cried to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." Isaiah's response was, "Woe is me! For I am undone, a man of unclean lips, and I dwell amongst a people of unclean lips, for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." In the measure we revere the holiness of God, so will be the measure of our response in our reverence, our worship, and our commitment to Him.

David's life was one of continual praise, a torrent of water springing up in adoration and worship. Moses responds to his encounter with God, as he cries out, "Lord, show me now thy glory." When Isaiah heard the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" he said, "Send me." Why did they, and others, give themselves unreservedly unto the Lord? Because, like Isaiah, they had SEEN THE KING!

How many of us have seen the King, high and lifted up, in a measure of His holiness, the Lord of Glory, sitting upon the throne? How needful it is for us in these days of unprecedented liberality and sin, to see the King, the Lord of Glory. It is then we will fall before Him as Isaiah did, take off our shoes as Moses did, and live our lives in continual praise, adoration, and worship as David did. It is then we will respond in unreserved surrender to His authority and sovereignty. It is then we will begin to see His mighty hand in our lives, making the crooked ways straight, moving the mountains, and parting the waters! Then our hearts will respond as David's, his whole being filled to overflowing with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and exclaim, "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!"

© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.


This page was reprinted by permission from: http://litmin.org/dare.php?date=2020-07-01


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