TRACT 03 -- Bless the Lord, O My Soul!
Some people work hard to ensure their existence. They try to earn enough money for their living and sacrifice all their time and effort to make a comfortable fortune. Yet, the Son of Mary teaches us, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24).
David tried to solve this problem by worshiping the LORD. He commanded himself and all thoughts inside him to keep silent, so that he could concentrate on the LORD only. He did not allow other thoughts to disturb him, but stood in the presence of God saying: “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.” (Psalm 103:1-4)
Praying and praising need determination and endurance. David wanted to honor and to glorify the LORD. The Holy Spirit guides believers to open themselves to the voice of their Creator.
The name LORD appears 6,828 times in the books of the Old Testament, while the word God appears only 2,600 times. The name of God is “the LORD”. This name confirms His unchangeable faithfulness. He alone is worthy of all trust and thankfulness, as David showed.
Yet, the voices and thoughts broke out of his subconscious powerfully, refusing to submit to silence. This is why the prophet ordered his inner being once again to praise the LORD. He determined that his thoughts should be filled with thankfulness and praise. David wanted to love the LORD with all his soul and to honor Him with all his being. He called the LORD the Holy One in whom there is no deceit, nor craftiness, nor fraud, nor any sin. He who comes near to God will be examined and penetrated by the rays of His holiness, which reveal every unclean work before Him. David experienced this spiritual discovery, humbled himself before the Holy One and glorified Him. God’s holiness covers His glory, for the Holy One is the Most Exalted. Whoever turns to Him will be sanctified in the depths of his heart.
David had to command his own spirit for a third time to keep silent and continue in praising God so that his thoughts would not be confused or slip away to money matters, daily problems and lurking dangers. He determined to pay attention only to the Lord of Lords and to the Omnipotent Judge of the world.
Afterwards the Holy Spirit guided David to thank the LORD for all his favors in his life. We, by nature, soon forget the LORD’s blessings and answers to our prayers. We are all world champions in forgetting the LORD’s favors.
We suggest to every reader, in order not to forget God’s various benefits, to take a paper and write down all the benefits that the LORD has offered you. Then truly thank Him for them. Praise Him for fresh air and water – for rain, snow, food and dress – for parents, teachers, schools, and places of work and residence – for safety and peace in your country. Thank Him for keeping you from the natural disasters of storms, earthquakes and volcanoes. Thank Him for keeping your country from hunger and afflictions of wars. Search in your mind for more favors that the LORD offered you. Do not be stingy in thanking Him. Train your heart on constant praising and thanking for concrete reasons so that you remain happy in your heart and the LORD’s pleasure can rest on you.
The most important reason for thankfulness, inspired by the divine Spirit to David, was the forgiveness of all his sins. Many people live as if they were innocent. They hide their offenses and walk about frowning. Do not follow their example, but repent. Confess all your sins to the LORD and decide not to commit these sins from now on, so that you may experience the comfort revealed by the apostle John, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).
David experienced the grace of the LORD, who forgave him all his sins. Therefore, he commanded his soul to thank the LORD for the forgiveness that God often granted him. The prophet experienced that the Holy One has pardoned and actually forgiven him all his sins. We do not find such a comprehensive grace in other religions. We do not find such words as perhaps or maybe in the Torah and the Gospel, for the LORD does not forgive only one part of our sins without the other ones, but cleanses us completely, justifies us thoroughly, and gives us His grace freely, out of His great love for us. Since Christ, by His substitutionary death, atoned for the sin of the world, we know for certain that, “By one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14).
However, the LORD declared that whoever receives forgiveness for their sins must forgive their adversary too, as God forgave them (Matthew 6:12). Do you have an enemy? Do you live with someone whom you are not in agreement with? Forgive him now completely, otherwise you will lose the Lord’s gracious forgiveness of your sins. Ask your Lord to help you with His power that you actually forgive your adversary the wrong he did to you, just as the Creator has already forgiven you (Matthew 6:14).
The Holy Spirit guided the prophet David to recognize that after all his sins were forgiven, health was the next important gift of his Lord to him. He recognized that he should thank Him for it. How often are we infected with colds, small wounds or chronic disease, yet the LORD, in His mercy, cured us. Physicians’ analyses and the expensive medicines do not help alone in healing us. The credit for it goes back to the Almighty. The LORD assures us, “I am the Lord who heals you” (Exodus 15:26).
The Son of Mary fulfilled this promise. He healed all the sick who came to Him, and cast out unclean spirits from the demon-possessed. The healing LORD uses physicians and medicines today, but the complete cure comes only from Him. Then where is your thankfulness to Him? Do not forget to thank your Creator with all your heart, because He is the one who bestows upon you the favors of health and healing.
King David was a god-fearing man. He knew that there was a day to come when he would face his Lord, so he prepared for his death. Yet, the Lord revealed to him that He would redeem him from his grave, not out of his righteousness, but because he believed in His justifying Lord. Whoever trusts Christ does not need to fear death nor the punishment of the tomb, as the Son of Mary confirms to us, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).
The Son of Mary rose alive from His tomb after He had overcome death. He triumphed over Satan and proved the reality of His eternal life. He will help all those who follow Him, take them by their hand and pass with them through the gate of death into His eternal life.
The Spirit of the LORD informed King David that golden crowns with diamonds are not the most precious things in the world. There are crowns of the LORD that shine forever. He who received the LORD’s mercy and will deliver it bountifully to the poor and the sick, meeting the needs of the castaways, the despised and the strangers, and helping them indeed, will be granted a spiritual crown by the LORD. Did you receive the crown of mercy and compassion from your Lord who delivers it to His merciful servants? Is your heart still hard like a stone? Or did it melt so that you suffer with the suffering and weep with the weeping? Christ guides you to continuous mercy, not only among your neighbors and friends, but also among those who are going astray and among unbelievers who have no hope in this life and the next. Turn to them and do not be shocked when you see their pale faces, but pray for them and think of them so that the LORD can send you to serve them faithfully and sincerely.
There are unknown and simple-hearted saints with invisible crowns on their heads. They had mercy on the miserable and the poor, prayed for them, helped them and sacrificed for them, in the same manner that their Lord did for them. He confessed, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Christ is our way and example who gives us power and courage to serve Him with gladness.
Dear reader,
Do you seek money and high rank, which makes your heart stony? Or did the Spirit of Christ change your mind so that you became merciful and compassionate, carrying an invisible crown on your head? Learn Psalm 103 by heart. Train yourself to be thankful so that you can recognize, in Christ, the incarnate love of God which transforms you into His mercy. Adorn yourself with thankfulness and praise!
We are ready to send you, freely upon request, the Gospel of Christ with prayers and meditations. They can help you to praise and give thanks from all your heart.
Awaiting your letter, we pray for you and would ask you to remember us in your prayers. Do not forget to write clearly your full address.
WATERS OF LIFE
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