Comfort and Strength part 8, Final: Come To Yourself

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

Many times, I have heard this verse stated as “I will bless the Lord…” as if this verse was a declaration, but it is not. It is an encouragement. The psalm writer paints a picture that is repeated a few times in the psalms.

Remember that we are beings of three parts: spirit, soul, and body. This picture is that of the spirit of a man, being in joyful, close communion and fellowship with the Father, coming to the soul (mind, emotions) of the man, who is currently down, weary of life’s hardships, and almost in depression. Well, the spirit immediately knows that the soul is not observing the big picture and is consumed with temporal and temporary feelings and events. So the spirit pulls up to the soul and says (if you will allow my modern translation) “Are you kidding me?!! What’s your problem?! Don’t you know who you are?! Better yet, don’t you know whose you are?! You better ‘git’ up and give the Lord some praise for how good He has been! Snap out of this foolishness! You know better than to let this get you down like that!”

Psalm 119:81 clearly displays this aspect:

My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.

This shows that while the soul was in a desperate type of longing, the “I” here, being the spirit and true self, is well established in confident expectation.  Other similar references in the Psalms include:

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. – Psalm 42:11
 
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: - Psalm 103:2

Yet this last reference ties it all together. In Luke chapter 15, Jesus tells a story referred to as the Parable of the Prodigal Son about a young man who collected his inheritance from his father and blew it on “riotous living.”  Now far from home and broke, things went from bad to worse when a mighty famine hit the land. Then we find these words in verses 15 – 18:

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

“He” came to “himself” with words that said “Look, this is stupid. Let’s drop the pride, suck it up, and just go home.”

Whatever situation you may find yourself in, a great place to be is in front of a mirror speaking God’s truth to yourself. Not in judging, degrading, or calling yourself names but building up and encouraging yourself in the Lord.  

 
Loving Father, we thank you for your tender mercies that are new every morning. And whether we have been mistreated, experiencing grief or lack, missed your holy mark in our living, or just feeling confused or down, we receive your love and empowerment to speak your anointed words from our own mouths that we may be restored, revived, and encouraged. While help and support from others is nice and appreciated, we are thankful that we don’t have to wait for it to be encouraged. In the name of Yahshua (Jesus) we humbly pray.

Self, you are beloved of the Lord. He values you sooo much that He gave His best for you. You are smarter than you know, for you have the mind of Christ. You are filled with wisdom and knowledge.  You are caring and giving and a blessing wherever you go. You are so full of love for others that you don’t have time to judge them. The spirit of victory resides in you and you have the most ingenious ideas and thoughts. You are divinely led in your eating and exercising and the best results are on the way. The blessing of the Lord makes you rich in all areas of life.