How to Praise God

(Ps. 103:1-2)

Mike Johnson

Psalm 103:1-2 exclaims, “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.”

David most likely wrote Psalm 103, a well-known psalm of praise.  It is a psalm of celebration, as the first and final verses indicate.  Some refer to verses 1-2 as an outburst of praise.

In the text, David is reminding himself to bless the Lord.  Typically, we ask for God’s blessings for ourselves or another person.  When God blesses people, they receive divine favor, happiness, peace, and contentment.  When we bless God, as one writer points out, “It means to praise, implying always a strong affection for him as well as a sense of gratitude” (Barnes Notes).  Blessing God involves acknowledging what God has done and how much we owe Him.  One translation (NIV) renders the word as “praise” instead of “bless.”  Also, to bless “His holy name” means to bless Him.  These verses teach us four truths about how to bless (or praise) God.  Consider them now.

  1. Personally – He says “my” soul. He is not handing this act over to someone else; it is what he is doing.
  2. Spiritually – He speaks of his “soul.” In speaking of his soul, he means his mind or heart, i.e., that which is spiritual, as his praise will come from within.  The following phrase, “all that is within me,” seems to explain the meaning of the word “soul.”  One translation renders it as “all my innermost being.”  All of the adoration, veneration, and praise, no matter how eloquently said, are of no value if it does not come from within (Mt. 15:8-9).
  3. Whole-heartedly – He says “all” that is within me. This word means nothing left out, i.e., “When I praise You, I will give it my all.”
  4. Purposefully – The Psalmist will “forget not all His benefits.” We try not to forget many things, e.g., a wedding anniversary.  Even more importantly, we should not forget the benefits we receive from God, as praising God should remind us to be thankful (2 Pet. 2:9).

Blessing, or praising, God and being grateful to Him goes hand-in-hand.  Grateful people are more motivated to praise the Lord, and as we do so, thinking about everything He has done reminds us of other great blessings.

Do you bless God?  If not, you should.  These two verses tell us how we are to do so.