Bless the Lord, O My Soul!
Tuesday’s Verses:
From Psalm 104:33-34 ESV
“I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.”
The psalmist has spent the entire hymn meditating on God’s majestic creation – the heavens spread out like a tent, the waters held in check by His word, the earth teeming with life by His gracious hand. And now, as a response, he pours out a personal vow:
“I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.”
It is not an immediate reaction or a burst of feeling. It is a lifelong resolve: “as long as I live,” “while I have my being.” As Lutherans, we know that praise is never really our own. True and proper praise of God comes not from our own strength but from the exuberance of our hearts when we know the Lord as our gracious Creator and Redeemer. To paraphrase Martin Luther’s thoughts: The Psalms lead us to Christ. In Christ, all creation comes to its end, we to our forgiveness and life.
Even on the hard days when the song comes out all wrong, in a whisper or a sigh, we will praise the Lord for He has first of all rejoiced over us in Jesus. And our meditation, our quiet thinking upon His Word and works, will be “pleasing” to Him not because we are good at it, but because Christ has made us acceptable in the cross and resurrection.
Sing today with the psalmist: as long as you draw breath, as long as you have life, you have a song to sing, however ordinary, however hard. Hum a hymn as you drive, whisper a thank you over your morning coffee, or simply rest in the truth that the God who made the stars delights in you as you trust Him. As long as you live, the song goes on—and one day in the new creation, it will never end.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Gracious Lord, You have given the earth its fullness of joy, and my heart its fullness of Gospel. Teach me to sing Your praise throughout all my days, rejoicing in Christ my Savior. May my thoughts be pleasing to You, for I alone rejoice in You. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
The photo above was created by ChatGPT