Oh My Soul, Bless the Lord (Psalm 103)

What does it mean to bless the Lord and why should we do it? When you hear the words “bless the Lord” what comes to mind?

The Scriptures are full of commands and encouragements to bless the Lord, but if we’re not careful, the phrase can become a string of words that feel familiar but have lost their meaning. We can begin to assume that terms like “praise,” “worship,” “bless,” “exalt” etc. all mean the same thing. And we’ll suggest that the writers simply wanted to embrace variety, so they used these different terms interchangeably. But that’s not quite what we see when we really look at the text.

Bless the Lord

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” (Psalm 103:1)

The word for “bless” in these verses is the Hebrew word “bāraḵ”. Across various dictionaries and sources, one aspect of this word’s definition is always consistent: the posture. “To kneel; to kneel as an act of adoration; to bend the knees; adore with bended knees”, etc. This is not a simple synonym – another way of saying “sing to the Lord” – but rather a specific demeanor and attitude. 

So, what is the psalmist saying here? Apparently, he is commanding his soul to kneel in a posture of reverence and adoration before the Lord. The “all” that is within him is being instructed and encouraged to bend its knee to the One whose name is holy. 

David, the writer of this psalm, would have been familiar with this type of posture. Not only was he the king of Israel, but he was the leader of his own army. He would have been used to subjects and soldiers kneeling before him and saluting him – people below his rank offering their expressions of respect and submission. And what would have led them to do this? They recognized who they were standing in front of: the king of their nation; their authority.

So what, then, would make an esteemed king like David command his very own soul to bend its knee and bow in adoration to another? And what does that mean for us?

Forget Not

David remembered. He remembered who he was blessing – who the gesture was directed towards. It was all for the righteous and just God who, through generations, has made Himself known through prophets and the works of His hands (and even more so now through His Word and Spirit).

“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…” (Psalm 103:2-4)

David had no reservations about kneeling before the God who forgave his sins & redeemed his life from the darkness of the pit – the only One who could heal his diseases and truly satisfy him. This God did not deal with David according to the magnitude of David’s sinful actions but according to the riches of His own grace. 

David not only remembered who God was, but he recognized his own position before the King of Kings. In this psalm, we do not see David boasting of his earthly, kingly crown as if it would hold any weight in comparison to the Lord’s, but instead he blesses the Lord for the crown of steadfast love and mercy that has been bestowed upon him. 

The gracious God and compassionate Father David continues to write about is the very same God we worship today. And how much greater is our reason to “kneel our souls” to God now that the mystery of the Gospel has been revealed to us in Jesus Christ!

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (Ephesians 1:7-10)

Forget not that the God who is able to unite all things in heaven and on earth has thought of us, rescued us from the pit of sin and death, and put a song of praise on our lips.

Bend Your Knees

So, where does this find you today? What are you struggling to remember? What is holding your soul back from this posture of reverence?

I won’t pretend to know the circumstances surrounding you, but I can implore you to remember your God – the One who, as far as the east is from the west, has removed your transgressions from you. He is preparing a place for you where disease, addiction, evil, and dysfunction do not exist. Remember His goodness and stir up your confidence in His grace for you. Let your soul be moved to respond.

For your salvation, bless the Lord. For your redemption, bless the Lord. For His faithfulness, love, and nearness, command your soul to kneel in awe of His holy name. Adore Him. He is worthy.

“Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!” (Psalm 103:20-22)

God, if we could see the fullness of Your majesty, we would fall to our knees and never be able to get up. Help us to bless You with all that is within us. Help us to know Your worth and let it produce in us a heart ready to honor and bless Your holy name.

May we forever continue to proclaim: “I won’t forget how He has crowned me with steadfast love; oh, I will bless the Lord!”