Did your mother ever tell you to count your blessings when you were complaining as a child? I know mine did. Whenever I was getting negative and starting to complain about things not going my way she would tell me to count my blessings. When I was young, I had no clue what that meant. As an adult I totally get it. God has blessed me with so much, and sometimes I need to remind myself.
Psalms 103:1-4
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 forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
Count Your Blessings
David knew what it was like to be taken care of by the Lord. In the first four verses, he recounts the many ways that the Lord has blessed him. His sin has been forgiven, and he has been healed of diseases, redeemed from the pit, and crowned with steadfast love and mercy. He doesn’t want to forget all of these benefits, so he repeats them back to the Lord. This is something we should do as well. Spend some time recounting all of the many blessings God has bestowed on you.
Return the Blessing
For all of those blessings, David wants to return the blessing back to the Lord. His heart is full of gratefulness so he sings “Bless the LORD, O my soul!” With all of his heart, David worships the LORD. The way that we bless the LORD is by worshipping him. No gift or act of service will ever come close to the blessing of worship. Give him all the praise and glory.
Stuck in a Rut?
Are you going through a difficult time? Maybe you feel stuck in life and can’t seem to get out? Instead of focusing on your situation remember two things: First recount the blessings that God has given you and second remember that he has crowned you with steadfast love and mercy. When we do this, our heart will be full, and all of our problems won’t seem so big. Count Your Blessings.