Psalm 103:1, 2 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits
There is always the danger of forgetting that you have a soul, an invisible part, as well as a body. You are more than just a physical creature. When you read a psalm like this you cannot forget the fact. Rather, you are confronted with the inspiring example of a man who not only knew that he had a soul but also stirred up his soul, his inmost being, to praise the LORD, to praise his holy name. He did it in part by reminding himself of all the benefits he had received from God. It is when we remember all God's goodness to us that we are stirred to remember him and give him praise. Forgetfulness is our great enemy here, as it is elsewhere. Too easily we forget our souls and forget to praise our God. Reading the Word is a great antidote to such amnesia. So is meditating on that Word in the light of God's providences towards us - his unfailing goodness. Everything I have, everything I am - it all comes from the Lord. There is not one good thing I have or have had, not one benefit, that did not come from him. My body, my soul, my life, my health, my desire to seek him - this very word itself - it all comes from him. How very evil then to forget such basic facts. It is to be an ungrateful dog. We need to take our souls in hand then and stir them up sometimes to praise God's holy character, the God who is worthy of all praise. Just as we take our bodies in hand to wake them in the morning - a splash of cold water, say - so we must take our souls in hand and speak to them and stir them up to praise the LORD. Part of having a soul is that we consciously praise the LORD.
There is always the danger of forgetting that you have a soul, an invisible part, as well as a body. You are more than just a physical creature. When you read a psalm like this you cannot forget the fact. Rather, you are confronted with the inspiring example of a man who not only knew that he had a soul but also stirred up his soul, his inmost being, to praise the LORD, to praise his holy name. He did it in part by reminding himself of all the benefits he had received from God. It is when we remember all God's goodness to us that we are stirred to remember him and give him praise. Forgetfulness is our great enemy here, as it is elsewhere. Too easily we forget our souls and forget to praise our God. Reading the Word is a great antidote to such amnesia. So is meditating on that Word in the light of God's providences towards us - his unfailing goodness. Everything I have, everything I am - it all comes from the Lord. There is not one good thing I have or have had, not one benefit, that did not come from him. My body, my soul, my life, my health, my desire to seek him - this very word itself - it all comes from him. How very evil then to forget such basic facts. It is to be an ungrateful dog. We need to take our souls in hand then and stir them up sometimes to praise God's holy character, the God who is worthy of all praise. Just as we take our bodies in hand to wake them in the morning - a splash of cold water, say - so we must take our souls in hand and speak to them and stir them up to praise the LORD. Part of having a soul is that we consciously praise the LORD.
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