Thoughts for the Day

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits....

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger for ever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.

As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children....
Bless the Lord, O my soul.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The words of Psalm 103 are attributed to David, although we don't know when, but we may wonder how he can be so positively grateful to God when many psalms mention some terrifying incidents as King Saul chases him round the country trying to kill him. Today is no different with a war in Ukraine, a recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and families struggle with the cost of living. Can we still be as gloriously thankful to God today?

If we look at the word 'bless', we shall see it means to 'kneel down and worship', that is to praise and love God. David was to be a powerful king, but he knew that all his authority came from God. There would be times of doubt, of questioning, and times when he forgot God, but always he comes back to God.

As Christians we can bless God not just through our words, but through our actions and our thoughts. Many of the problems in our world are caused by humans, but God is always there working through His people in a myriad of ways:- to fight for justice, to feed the hungry, to heal, and to comfort the sick. When we act in God's name then God is praised. So too when we speak peace to others, and when we have 'right thoughts' then we renew our trust and faith in God and this too blesses God. However, we cannot do it on our own, and need the help of Christ to achieve it.

'Bless the Lord, O my soul'.
May we bring praise and glory
to God each day
through our thoughts,
our speech and our actions.
When life seems dark
and the way difficult,
may we remember to turn to Him
who gave His life for our sake,
and continue to Bless the Lord.
Amen.