Convince Yourself

Convince Yourself
May 13, 2013
Psalm 103:1  "Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name."

King David was a passionate man for the Lord.  David's heart was in it all the way.  While David was a smart man, his loyalty to the Lord was heavily rooted inside in his heart, not just his brain.  It wasn't only a cognitive understanding of the Lord but a soul-deep conviction in his relationship with the Father.   Nonetheless, David still had to mentally recognize that the Lord needed honoring regardless of how he felt at any given moment.  He was human and there were times David was distressed, disheartened, and probably even apathetic toward the Lord.  David knew, even if his heart wasn't fully excited on any given day, the Lord still deserved honoring; there were so many valid reasons.  David made lists, just in case he forgot one or two of those reasons and penned them in poetic form for us to use, just in case we, too, forgot some of those reasons.

He starts out by ordering himself to praise the Lord.  Then he tells himself again to praise the Lord, in case he didn't hear it the first time.  THEN he recounts some important reasons WHY he should praise the Lord, just in case he wanted to debate his original order.  Then he orders everyone else to praise the Lord because of his convincing argument.  Here it is, written in my own, UN-poetic form:

Praise the Lord with everything you have.  In case you didn't hear me, I told you to praise the Lord and this time don't forget all the benefits He has given you.  He forgave your sins (the ones from yesterday and tomorrow).  He heals all your illnesses (the ones from yesterday and the ones still to come).  He brought you back from the filthy pit-hole you dug for yourself, cleaned you up, and then crowned you with heart-felt tenderness.  He satiates your longings with appropriate gifts, so you are refreshed and re-energized.  The Lord works out good things and brings to justice the situations that are oppressing you.  The Lord is gentle and generous even though you seldom deserve it.  He has a high tolerance for your stupidity while stilling showering you with love.  He does not treat you with disdain, even though that's what you deserve and He doesn't repay your wretchedness with wretchedness.  He actually has more love for you than is describable and copious amounts of compassion for you if you fear Him.  He understands you are made of sinful flesh and yet still loves you when you fear Him.  Live your life for Him and He will take care of you; He will even take care of your grandchildren, but remember to always walk in His ways.  He is established high above your situations and He rules over them.  Praise Him; everything praise Him!  Everyone, everywhere praise Him! In case you didn't hear me, I told you to praise Him.For a more poetic rendering, please read the original Psalm 103.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Psalm 103