Column by Sumter Pastor Joey Durham: We can bless the Lord as believers
I want to thank you for taking the time to read this devotion, and I pray that you will be encouraged by what the Lord has laid upon my heart for today. I want to look at a passage of Scripture that will challenge you and I as born-again children of God to "Bless the Lord!" In Psalm 103:1-5, we read these words, "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." (KJV) Now someone might be thinking, "Wait a minute, God is the one that blesses! How can I bless God?"
In today's Scripture passage, David literally commands himself to bless the Lord. How could he do that? David purposed to not withhold anything that he knew would bless the heart of God, so he gave his everything for the sole purpose that his Savior would receive praise and honor for who He is and for what He had done in David's heart and life. You see, this act of "blessing the Lord" for David was actually a purposed and intentional praise to the God of Heaven for all that God had done for him. We sing a song at church often, "Count your blessings, name them one by one; count your blessings, see what God hath done; count your blessings, name them one by one; count your many blessings and see what God has done." Here in this Scripture, David was counting blessings and blessing the Lord in return.
David blessed his Lord for the forgiveness of his sins and the healing touch that only God could provide for his body. David blessed God for the redemption of his life and for the favor of lovingkindness and tender mercies that came with each new day. David blessed his Divine Sustainer for satisfying his hunger by providing his food and renewing his strength. Child of God, don't you think it's about time that we "bless the Lord" and give God the worship, adoration and thanks that He truly deserves? If we will follow the Psalmist David's example and start counting our blessings, it won't be long before a smile will mark our face and the tears will roll down our cheeks as we start "Blessing the Lord!"
Dr. Joey Durham is pastor at Open Bible Baptist Church at 180 Old Manning Road in Sumter. You can contact Pastor Durham at durham.joey@yahoo.com or call the church office at (803) 481-9315.