PRAISE THE LORD

David said in Psalm 103: 1 “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name” In this prayer, there is no supplication, no request, no petition or plea. It is pure unadulterated praise to God.

David was awestruck with God’s blessings. We are not told the circumstances in which David received this Psalm, but it is not difficult to imagine how it happened. Looking at his life, counting his blessings instead of complaining about his burdens, it dawned upon David just how much God had done for him. He realised how good God had been and how undeserving he was of all these blessings. Springing up from the depths of his heart and gushing out onto his parchment came this prayer of praise, this benediction, expressing his gratitude toward the Lord.

I can see David, full of emotion, passionate in all that he did, praising God with all his heart. He believed in putting his all into it. This ancient Hebrew King was also an accomplished musician, a man who sang with feeling and with conviction. This was a joyous song of praise to the Lord.

These words were not dry and stale when David sang them. They were full of life and energy. They were part of his worship. You’ll recall that David was accustomed to dancing when he worshiped God. Remember that one of his wives, Michal, did not approve and criticized him, and God made her barren for her criticism. Now a guy who dances when he worships God would not be dry and monotonous as he sang this song. It would not be sung like a funeral dirge or a requiem. This was a song of praise. David sang it with joy and with a deep desire to let God and all else who could hear know just how much he really wanted God to receive praise and glory. The psalms are filled with these kinds of praise songs.

David was serious about praising the Lord. It wasn’t something he only did at the temple during religious ceremonies. It was part of his everyday experience. He was grateful to the Lord and he could not help but praise him. We need to give consideration to this when it comes to the way we sing our songs of praise.

Have a lovely Week!