COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Psalm 103:2
The Bible is full of advice to us to be grateful. Apart from the Word of God, there is another source from which we should expect this admonition-our own soul.
David writes, preaching to himself the gospel of grace, “Bless the Lord, O my soul.” We should constantly be preaching to ourselves, as David does in the Psalms. It need not be a complicated or particularly academic sermon. It can be as simple as these three words: “Bless the Lord!”
As the first point in his sermon to himself, David exhorts: “forget not all his benefits.” The most powerful antidote to sadness and depression is a grateful heart. And the most effective way to develop a grateful heart is to consciously, specifically recount the Lord's blessings and to thank Him for each one.
Are you spiritually cold or disheartened? Preach this sermon to yourself—bless the Lord, O my soul! Are you discouraged? Forget not all His benefits. Are you being tormented with anxiety? Give thanks. Are you feeling depressed? Praise the Lord. Stop focusing on what is lacking and rejoice for what you have. Sing along with this songwriter: When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Prayer: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
Scriptural Reading: Psalm 103:1-22
