bless the Lord

Whole Being

Posted on by Betsy

I have been blessed to visit the Wailing Wall at the Temple in Jerusalem twice in my life. It is a holy and mysterious place. This is the last remaining structure of the Second Temple built by Herod in 20 BCE and is sacred to Jews and Christians alike. On both visits I noticed Orthodox Jews praying fervently at the wall, swaying and rocking back and forth. This tradition is known as “shuckling” and is thought to promote focus and concentration in the worshipper. Shuckling is a Yiddish word that means “to shake,” and is based on Proverbs 20:27 where the spirit of man is described as a flickering candle or lamp of the Lord. In any case, this practice involves the whole body in worship. What would it look like if we involved our whole beings in worship?

Today’s beautiful psalm makes the same suggestion. “Let my whole being bless the Lord!” says David. He repeats this idea three times in the first two verses to emphasize his point. Half-hearted, distracted worship is not enough. For David, it is all or nothing.

Psalm 103 (Common English Bible)

Let my whole being bless the Lord!
    Let everything inside me bless his holy name!
2 Let my whole being bless the Lord
    and never forget all his good deeds:

Scholars assume that this psalm was probably written in David’s later years. There is a maturity of thought in this writing, suggesting a man who had been through some trials and is able to reflect on God’s goodness throughout. This man knew what it was like to receive God’s pardon. By including his soul in blessing God, David suggests that we should thank God appropriately for giving us such a comprehensive “benefits package,” the likes of which cannot be given by mere mortals.

God’s benefits package includes forgiveness, healing, protection from destruction, lovingkindness, tender mercies, and a youth-like energy and strength. Indeed, every good thing comes from God, and it is incumbent on us to return those blessings in the form of wholly engaged worship.


3     how God forgives all your sins,
    heals all your sickness,
4     saves your life from the pit,
    crowns you with faithful love and compassion,
5     and satisfies you with plenty of good things
        so that your youth is made fresh like an eagle’s.

But do we do that? Do we engage our minds and souls every Sunday in church? Or do we present our distracted selves, coming automatically every week without engaging our hearts? More importantly, are you holding something back? We are invited to prepare for and engage thoughtfully in worship each week. Are you a candle burning or a spent wick?

David’s enthusiasm for God is contagious if we just let it in. Next time you are getting ready for worship, read these words again. And then bless the Lord with everything you’ve got.

The Temple by Kathy Schumacher

Self-Inflicted

Posted on by Betsy

Another sleepless night. The 4:00 wakeup call came with blaring regularity, calling me to prayer. This time I couldn’t fall back asleep and so I did what one does: After praying though the immediate issue on my mind, which involves an intercessory petition for a loved one, I began reviewing my life and all of the mistakes, missteps, missed opportunities, misdirected energies, and other untold miseries that I brought upon myself over the years. Replaying my “sin reel” seems to be a favorite middle of the night pastime for me. Do you ever do this?

The irony of this is that I know better. I know that my redeemer lives. I know that my savior has forgiven me. I know I have done due diligence in repentance and remorse and have received the blessing of having those sins washed away forever. So why do they continue to live in my mind?

It is some type of self-inflicted punishment, as it surely does not come from the Lord who forgives and forgets.

Somewhere around 5:45, I had an epiphany. If we believe God’s word to be holy and true, then we have to accept that our sins truly are cast as far away as the east is from the west. They do not exist in the mind of the Lord anymore.

Psalm 103 (Common English Bible)

Let my whole being bless the Lord!
    Let everything inside me bless his holy name!
2 Let my whole being bless the Lord
    and never forget all his good deeds:
3     how God forgives all your sins,
    heals all your sickness,
4     saves your life from the pit,
    crowns you with faithful love and compassion,
5     and satisfies you with plenty of good things
        so that your youth is made fresh like an eagle’s.

6 The Lord works righteousness;
    does justice for all who are oppressed.
7 God made his ways known to Moses;
    made his deeds known to the Israelites.
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
    very patient, and full of faithful love.
9 God won’t always play the judge;
    he won’t be angry forever.
10 He doesn’t deal with us according to our sin
    or repay us according to our wrongdoing,
11     because as high as heaven is above the earth,
    that’s how large God’s faithful love is for those who honor him.

12 As far as east is from west—
    that’s how far God has removed our sin from us.

Do you know who benefits from our imprisonment to our sins? Satan. He revels in reminding us through images and whispers that we once strayed from God and should feel tainted and unworthy. But that, my friends, is his feeble attempt to undo the glory and power of what happened at the cross, and we should never, ever, buy into his lie. Get thee behind me, Satan!

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. In the name of Jesus Christ, I am forgiven.

Thanks be to God.

Midnight Moon by Michelle Robertson