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, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  Psalm 103:1-5  ESV

This is just the beginning of this wonderful hymn of praise.  These first few verses praise God for His personal blessings.  The rest of the hymn praises God for His national blessings, his forgiveness and ends with a call to praise Him.

I think that one of the biggest problems for me when I used to pray is that I forgot who I was talking to.  I forgot that I was talking to the Creator of the Universe.  I forgot that I was talking to the King of kings.  I forgot that I was talking to the Almighty God.  In this Psalm, David reminds us that a close relationship with our Lord and Savior comes with many great benefits.  He forgives all of our sin, not just some of it.  He heals our sickness, spiritual as well as physical.  He pulls us out of the quagmire of slavery to sin.  He gives us steady, unending, unconditional love and mercy.  Verse 5 tells us that he renews our youth.  For those of you who are twenty-something or thirty-something, you have no idea what David is talking about here, but let me tell you, having your youth renewed is no small favor.  This brings to mind Isaiah 40:31, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.

When we realize who it is that we are praying to, then we realize His awesome power.  This is why our prayers sometimes lack faith.  Have you ever voiced a need or a desire only to have someone say, “that will never happen”.  Well, I will tell you this my friend,  I have seen the impossible happen.  I have seen miracles before my very eyes.  I have seen doctors say that all hope is lost and I have seen God reply, “not yet”.  I have come to understand the awesome, mighty, power of God and I don’t want to live without it.  I don’t want to be without the one, true God that always has my back.  I don’t want to be without the one true God that always knows what is best for me.

I have felt weary and powerless, but no more!  I have made a conscious decision that I am going to reside in God’s presence.  I am going to feel His presence and His power in my life.  I am nothing without Him, but with Him I am strong.  I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).  I know what power He holds.  I know that all things are possible with Christ (Matthew 19:26).

So, if you tell me that something is impossible, I am going to tell you that it is not.  If you tell me that I can’t do something, I’m going to tell you that we shall see.  If you tell me that my prayers won’t be answered, then I am going to tell you that you have no idea who I’m praying to.  I am talking to the one and only God.  The God that rules the universe.  I am talking to the God that sent his son to be born of a virgin so that He might die a horrible and humiliating death to save a low-life sinner like me and you.  I know who I’m talking to.

My prayer for you today is that you know who He is. I pray that you learn that the best thing you can do is talk to Him often and give it all over to Him.  I pray that you learn that He wants good things for you (Jeremiah 29:11) and that He will work all things out for your good if you love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).   Because once you understand these things, you will want to live in a close relationship with Him and you will never want to stray from His side.

It took me many years to figure this out, so please don’t waste a lot of time like I did, just get with the program!  You will be so glad you did!

Have a great day!