Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Psalm 103:1 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3

Psalm 103 is attributed to David and is one of the praise Psalms. In it David expresses his thankfulness for God’s goodness. Verse 10-11: “God does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love.” The Psalmist extols the many things God has done and why we should praise Him. Blessing the Lord is a way of saying, “Praise the Lord.”

In 1 Peter we also read that God is to be blessed. This time for the new birth we all have received through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The writer uses the term “living hope.” Hope is not wishful thinking but a firm conviction about the future. As used here we have this hope, a living hope because Christ rose from the dead! We can all bless and praise the Lord. Some churches have what are called “praise songs.” We Lutherans have many hymns which praise God, among them “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” which is loosely based on Psalm 103:

1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear; now to his temple draw near,
join me in glad adoration.

4 Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen sound from his people again;
gladly forever adore him.

Holy God, we bless you with our heart, soul, and mind. Forgive our self-consciousness and let us join together to sing songs of hope and joy. Thank you for your son, Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection give us hope in things to come. Amen

Chris Gabel

Ministries
Teaching Mission Party