Bless the Lord, O My Soul!

Psalm 103:1- Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! NKJV

Wonderful Jesus! My family and I just returned from vacationing in the state of Arizona. And of course, what is a visit to Arizona that doesn’t include the Grand Canyon! It was majestic! But in the city of Sedona, where we stayed, I had a moment with the Lord and knew I wanted to share it with you! Our resort was situated in a canyon of its own and one day, as I was reading through the book of Psalms, I came to the 103rd chapter and my soul blessed the Lord!

Looking out on the red rocks of Sedona, I read:

 Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Psalm 103:1 NKJV

Then I paused and blessed the Lord! I am not a lover of nature. Quite the opposite! But I could well imagine David sitting outside, enjoying his surroundings, and saying,

 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Psalm 103:1 NKJV

I also had a greater appreciation for the Indigenous people who lived in the area before being invaded by foreigners. It was amazing to see the places where they carved out a living for themselves without the benefit of modern technology! I was overwhelmed with the goodness of God as I read:

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:

Psalm 103:2 NKJV

Even now, my soul recaptures the emotions that welled inside me as I read this psalm. Then I began to say, “Bless the Lord, O my soul:

Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases

Psalm 103:3 NKJV

Only I didn’t read it as it was written, for it was my iniquities and my diseases on my mind He had forgiven! Bless the Lord, O my soul:

Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies

Psalm 103:4 NKJV

Again! This psalm became so very personal to me. I’ve always seen it as a personal psalm, but as I began to insert verse one before every verse that followed it, my soul was captured in the goodness of God as my soul blessed His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul:

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

Psalm 103:10 NKJV

Isn’t that amazing! He doesn’t deal with us according to how we act, or don’t act. He doesn’t punish us even though we deserve it! He continuously extends His grace to us, because that’s the God we serve! Bless the Lord, O my soul:

For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

Psalm 103:11 NKJV

As I stood on a cliff in the Grand Canyon, I saw eagles flying around! Isn’t that something? As I looked down in the canyon, I could barely see the truck parked on one of the roads! We were up high! And yet, God’s mercy is greater than the expanse of the heavens from the earth! The concept is easily spewed out of our mouths but is difficult to understand. Particularly when we feel so unworthy. But it’s a concept, while mind-boggling, He gives to us! Bless the Lord, O my soul!

As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:12 NKJV

Have you ever traveled from the East Coast to the West Coast? Depending on what city you start in, that’s a pretty far distance. According to Google, it is over 2700 miles. By car, it would take about 40 hours to drive. By plane, leaving from San Diego, it’s at least nine hours! And we are only looking at the distance of the United States and not the world! Are you following this? Can you see why my soul was captured with such awe as I read this psalm in the surrounding beauty of the canyon? It put a new perspective on the vastness of the earth and therefore, on God’s removal of my sin from me, from us! Bless the Lord, O my soul!

But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,

Psalm 103:17 NKJV

I think I have made my point! This psalm has always been a favorite of most people! Yours truly, included! But when I sat in my room, looking out at the mesas that surrounded me in that valley; when I walked to the end of the road and was surrounded by the canyons on three sides; when I watched the family of deer as they ate their evening meal; I only had one thing to say:

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Psalm 103:1 NKJV

Wonderful Jesus, saints! Wonderful Jesus!