“Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:” Psalms 103:2 NKJV
Imagine you have an acquaintance who only sends you a text message every time he/she needs “urgent 2k”. Yet every time you send the money, he/she remains silent until another time he/she has a need. It might make you feel used because they ignore you when everything is going well, but remember you when they need something. This scenario paints a picture of someone who calls on God in bad times but neglects Him in good times.
In the Bible, there is a story of 10 lepers who approached Jesus to be healed (Luke 17:11-19). Jesus told them what they should do to be healed. They followed his instructions and were cleansed, but only one of them returned to give thanks. Jesus asked about the other nine, but they were nowhere to be found.
As children of God, the blessings of God ought to be ringing in our hearts each day. We should not be people who call upon God only in times of distress or worry, but when things return to normal, we forget the help we have received from God.
In our anchor verse, the psalmist commanded his soul to bless God and to remember all that God has done for him. It is easy to lose track of our blessings or to attribute them to someone or some coincidence.
As a child of God, good occurrences in your life don’t happen by chance, but God directs your path. We must give thanks even in good times because it reminds us that every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17).
The psalmist emphasised this point in Psalms 145:2 thus: “Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever”.
The Bible is full of commands that we should praise God at all times. Regardless of the times we find ourselves in, our disposition should be to praise Him. Feeling gratitude and expressing appreciation is good for our hearts. It is in our best interest to remember all the good things we have received. Lest we become vain and selfish, thinking that only efforts have made us what we are.
Gratitude to God will always keep the heart in the right place toward the Master Planner of our lives. Therefore, strive to be the child who always remembers the goodness of God. The more we recount God’s favour in our lives, the more our confidence in Him grows.
Dear believer, God should not be thought of only when there is a problem to solve. Command your heart to bless God at all times. Let his praises continually be in your mouth.
Bible Reading Plan: Psalms 43-45, 49