1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Verses 1-5 summarize my redemption story. My life is summarized in the whole chapter. Jesus states in Luke: "He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Luke 22:44 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. (verse 45).
How would you like your mind to be opened to understand the Scriptures (CAPITAL S)? I know I would!! I pray for it so often. I pray to understand, but do you know what gives me the most understanding of all? The absolute most intricate pieces of scripture that I feel I can understand (as my heart beats rapidly, and it swells to my eyes) is from my own life. I used to read scripture and it was somehow apart from me. It was from someone else, for someone else, and it had almost nothing to do with me. Not anymore. Since I've learned that humility is the best trait I can ever have when it pertains to learning who God is, I have realized that because He lives within me, these scriptures are about me and for me. Doesn't seem like I'm breaking new ground, does it? But if you knew how I read these scriptures before, you would understand. I would read, "Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will," and I would think, "Yeah, you guys do that. I hope you do. I wonder if they already did that. Sure, sometime when this was written. They probably already did that. In heaven somewhere, sometime.."
You laugh? As I think back, it's almost funny. Yet so scary because I'm not sure if I hadn't chosen to trust God in the pit of despair, that I would have ever grown out of it. Now, I realize that the heavenly hosts don't stop. They're praising Him right now. And I am His servant. I've asked to be. I've prayed for people, I've prayed for myself, I've worked for Him, I've given gifts in His name. This scripture is ME. And Yes, I praise Him (praising isn't just singing!).
How can a Psalm describe my journey in 22 verses? Forgiven in verse 3, praising in verse 22. Because it's inspired by The One who has a plan for me and I have chosen to walk with Him through it. Because He desires the same plan for everyone else caught up in sin and any kind of turmoil-which is every person that breathes. Because every redemption story ends in praise. Because He will save every time (saving isn't always curing, taking away pain or iniquities, or sending you money, but He has been known to do them too). We are not here forever. We are not here forever. We have this time, right now, to make our lives count and if you want to know a secret-our lives are not about us; neither is our purpose. He who has ears, let him hear.
{P.S. I know what has worked for me and if you want to grow more, I can share what what I did. If you want to work, read the Psalm again and try to make it talk about you. Everything is present tense. If you're lacking, you'll wince with every part that doesn't define you yet. Then humble yourself (which usually comes with crying and some alone time, lots of contemplation, asking for forgiveness, confessing exactly what you're having trouble with in prayer), and resolve to be better. I can't say enough what a dimension change it was in my relationship to God to tell Him exactly what is troubling me, exactly what I'm feeling and doing wrong. It's not like He doesn't know it already or can't handle it-He handled death! I am not going to dirty God by saying horrible things that I do, and I'm not giving the devil a foothold. Instead, I'm letting the foothold go. God will cleanse me. Then it's work, work, work! Message me if you'd like me to pray for you. jholub4@att.net}
