Psalm 103: 1-2, 8-12 (NKJV)
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: The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) is a worship song by Matt Redman based on Psalm 103 that has been very popular since it was released in 2011. When asked about the inspiration behind the song, Redman said, “We live beneath an unceasing flow of goodness, kindness, greatness, and holiness, and every day we’re given reason after reason why Jesus is so completely and utterly worthy of our highest and best devotion”. The lyrics capture his thoughts—and the whole of Psalm 103— perfectly:
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I’ll worship Your Holy name
You’re rich in love
And You’re slow to anger
Your name is great
And Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness
I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons
For my heart to find
How easy is it for you to Bless the Lord? Do you consider the impact of God’s love and grace and sovereignty in your life and believe that there might actually be “ten thousand reasons for your heart to find” that would lead you to “worship His Holy name?” There are lots of pictures and cards and devotionals that encourage us to “Count Our Blessings,” but have you ever really attempted to do that? In his writings on this psalm, and in particular on verse 2 where David exhorts us to “forget not all His benefits,” Dr. Willem VanGemeren comments, “Praise is the response of awe for God, while reflecting on what the Lord has done for the people of God throughout the history of redemption, for creation at large, for the community, and for oneself.” This is a great way to start your list.
Not only do we see what the Lord has done for His people throughout the Biblical narrative, but also in the telling of church history for the past two thousand years. From stories of individuals to entire people groups, the redemptive benefits of being a Child of God are more numerous than one could count in a lifetime. If you choose to focus on God’s creation, day after day and scene after scene as one moves about the world—not to mention the universe—you will find more than enough to fill ten thousand pages of a journal. And if you bring it a lot closer to home, into the daily details of you and your family and your community of faith, another extensive journal is waiting to be written. And last but not least, the manifold blessings of the New Life in Christ that you received when you were born again (v. 8-12).
Being a Child of God comes with a miraculous and unending Benefits Package, and each one of us would do well to occasionally study its contents. When we do, along with King David, we should then, quite naturally, Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
