When I read this psalm I was reminded of a quite powerful worship track recorded by a pastor friend of mine and his wife. We met on a mission trip years ago and he gave us a copy of this album they recorded. Yes, it’s 13 minutes long. Their album is aimed to be a worship experience and the tracks are more of a guided meditation over scripture with melodic accompaniment. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to pause and listen to it before reading the rest of this devotional. I trust you have at least read the psalm. If not, maybe you want to have it in front of you while you listen.
How often do we praise and thank the Lord for all His benefits to our life? When life is difficult we tend to focus on all the things coming against us: sin, disease, destruction, turmoil, and suffering. We just plead for relief and get frustrated when we don’t get what we want, what we need. The truth is, however, that He has given us and continues to give us more than we deserve.
What if we were to be so radical to turn our laments into praise? I challenge you to read through the psalm and annotate the things God has done for you. David gives us quite an exhaustive list of what God does for us and what benefits we reap by being His children. God has blessed us with so much that the sheer weight of His love upon us and within us is crushing. For as much as He has blessed us, how much do we bless Him in return? We don’t deserve these blessings but He deserves ALL blessings!
How can we bless the Lord with our souls? By praise and worship. One of the great things about the psalms is there are many songs made to help us express the emotions within them. Can you today in consideration of all He has done for you turn those blessings into praise? Will you raise your voice, your heart, your soul to the Lord in blessing to His name? Can we live a life worthy of the blessings He has given us? The blessings themselves empower us to be able to do so.
