“Have a blest day,” says the world glibly. But only the believer knows the secret of having one.
As we turn to the well-loved Psalm 103, we first notice that it ends as it begins—with repeated calls to “Bless the Lord” (vv 1-2, 20-22). The name “Lord” (Yahweh), the One we are to bless, occurs 11 times in the 22 verses. Later, David will call on others to bless the Lord, but before that, he calls on his own soul to do it. This is an excellent practice—to first do what you will exhort others to do. And he isn’t merely doing this for effect. He’s going to throw his soul enthusiastically into the effort—“all that is within me.” There’s another practical example here as well. David doesn’t just tell us to bless the Lord. He also fills the psalm with wonderful reasons to praise Him. He lavishes “benefits” (v 2) on us, but sadly we do forget. Imagine! When it comes to us, the Lord forgives the unforgivable—the murder of His Son, for example. Then we, sometimes at least, forget the unforgettable! Let’s not do that, says David. Our Lord is the One “Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things” (vv 3-5). Now the psalm broadens from the personal to the national (vv 6-10). But soon it becomes universal, “as the heavens are high above the earth” and “as far as the east is from the west” (vv 11-12). Still His Fatherly care and tenderness are shown (vv 13-14). The river of blessing keeps expanding: “the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting” (v 17), “and His kingdom rules over all” (v 19). Now let the “angels” join in (v 20), in fact, so should “all His hosts” and “all His works” (vv 21-22). But whoever else responds to this call, David concludes, “Bless the Lord, O my soul!”