Of David.
1Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
3Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
4Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
6The LORD performs righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
7He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.
8The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
9He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
12As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
14For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.
15As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place acknowledges it no longer.
17But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children,
18To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts to do them.
19The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.
20Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!
21Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,
You who serve Him, doing His will.
22Bless the LORD, all you works of His,
In all places of His dominion;
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
Notes:
If you read this psalm through a few times, you’ll notice that David doesn’t speak about any specific situation. He isn’t pleading with God to free him from enemies, like so many other psalms, he’s just telling us about God and what we should do in response to that. This psalm speaks many truths to us. I’d encourage you to print out this psalm and grab 3 different colors of highlighters or pens (if that is too much for you, just make some mental notes). Underline or highlight each of these: 1- Things the psalm tells us to do (look for the word bless) 2- Things true of God 3- Things that God does for us (2 and 3 can look a lot alike- feel free to put 2 colors on those). If your page is very colorful, you’re on the right track!
What in this psalm means the most to you? I’ll list some of the most meaningful things to me from each category above:
- Verse 2 tells us to “forget none of his benefits”. A lot of times, when I am angry at God it is because I am forgetting some of His benefits, or characteristics. He has blessed us abundantly! What are 3 benefits of God that move you to praise Him?
- Verse 8 shakes my view of God (if you had some problems thinking of 3 benefits, look at this verse!). A lot of times I see Him as a very stern and angry God. How does it make you feel that God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and full of lovingkindness?
- Verse 12 is a place of peace for me. For those of us who are His by trusting in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, this verse applies to us. Is there something in your life now or in your past that you feel God can’t forgive you of? This verse speaks otherwise. If you have truly asked God for forgiveness, you are forgiven. Let that truth sink in.
This is a great psalm to look back at if you ever doubt God’s love for you. Our response to this amazing truth should be the same as how David begins and ends this psalm, “Bless the LORD, O my soul!”