Bless the Lord!

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 ESV

After spending time pondering the Lord’s benefits, His grace and mercy and steadfast love, and how well He understands us, David’s response is to bless the Lord with even more enthusiasm than when he began this psalm. I love how David exhorts all of creation, from His mighty angels to the lowliest of His works, to bless the Lord in these closing verses. Everybody and everything, wherever they may be, are called to bless the Lord. Then David finishes as he started, reminding himself to bless the Lord as well.

As a servant of the Lord who seeks to do His will, I’m in this list of people David tells to bless the Lord. How can I bless Him today?

I can learn more about what His will is from His word and do it. Sometimes we think of God's will as what He wants me to do in a specific situation. But scripture tells us God’s will is concerned with my spiritual condition.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification… - 1 Thessalonians 4:3a ESV

God wants me to be sanctified, set apart for Him, and live a holy life that reflects whose I am. I grow in holiness by spending time with Him in prayer and His word. Then I can grow in understanding of who He is and who I am in Him. As I grow, I will learn to make better choices that honor Him in any situation.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

I can rejoice even when things are going terribly wrong because I trust that He is always with me. I can praise Him in the midst of our often-chaotic world because He’s a God of order and He doesn’t change. I can pray without ceasing, keeping in conversation with Him throughout the day. I can bless Him by choosing to be thankful for all I have in Jesus.

When I seek to do His will, I bless my Father.

Think About: What’s one specific way you can bless the Lord today?