Bless The Lord, O My Soul

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“Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget none of His benefits.” (Psalm 103:1-2 NASB) I will stop here with these two verses of Psalm 103, but please find time to read the entire chapter for an awesome reminder of why God is totally worth our praise.

Hopefully, this will be the last of my “musings from the hospital.” There is definitely the downside of being cooped up in a hospital room, sleeping on a hard couch, bad food, etc. However, these four days have given me ample time to be still and write, to be inspired in a setting outside my own little world, and to hear God speak to my heart.

Just when I think that I am consistently thanking God for who He is and all He has done for me, I am removed from my routine and placed in an environment which adds exponentially to my list of praises.  If we are honest with ourselves, most of our discussions with God through prayer are a bit one-sided. I know I tend to monopolize the conversation with way too much me, me, me and very little bless you, bless you Lord for all your benefits. Of that I have been painfully reminded as I have walked the halls of this hospital.

There are people here whose next steps will be into eternity, those who are battling illnesses that will forever change their lives, those who will be recuperating from surgery for weeks to regain their strength. I see family members in designated waiting rooms anxiously awaiting word of their loved one’s status. A lady I met this morning on the elevator has been here with a family member for three months. How blessed we are that our short four day stay of observation is a rather innocuous situation. Bless you Lord!

All of this definitely brings about a change in perspective. The things that I often complain about are blessings for which I need to praise God. Let’s think about this for a moment.  That job that drives you crazy…praise God that you have one. There are so many jobless people in our country. Those kids driving you crazy…praise the Lord he gave them to you and that they are healthy.  Infertility so often robs couples of the best and worst of parenthood.  We definitely need to be thinking outside of the box as well as looking in our own back yard, so to speak, when it comes to blessing our gracious Heavenly Father.

While typing this, I have learned that we will spend another night in the hospital. Not the greatest news, but we are finding out more each day about Ben’s seizures and medicine interactions. I thank God for the wonderful doctor we have, the nurses and staff who have taken such good care of us. Perspective! Bless you Lord!

My prayer for you today is that you will see your world through the eyes of God and His love for you regardless of your present circumstances.  A multitude of reasons exist for blessing His name if your focus is on Him, His sacrifice for you, His grace and love that carry you through the toughest trials of life.  Go forth and be thankful.  Bless His name and forget none his benefits! To God Be the Glory!

(The picture above is from a peaceful sanctuary at the children’s hospital entrance which interconnects with the hospital in which we are located.)

 

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