Day 17 "1000000 Reasons"

            The phrase, “Bless the Lord” appears many times in these psalms, and I used to wonder what it meant, especially when singing the recently well known song, “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)” by Matt Redman, with the lyrics,

“Bless the Lord, oh my soul,

Oh my soul, worship His holy name”.

I found that it meant to extol God in thanksgiving, to recognize and praise His glory. In the Psalms we find a list of unending reasons for us to Praise our Lord in thanksgiving! If we counted the gazillion reasons why God is so great, we would be so humbled by His glory, that we probably think twice about complaining and asking Him "But Why?!" questions.

“O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name:

Make known his deeds among the people.

Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him:

Talk ye of all his wondrous works.

Glory ye in his holy name:

Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

Seek the Lord, and his strength:

Seek his face evermore.”

[Psalms 105:1-4]

In Chapter 105 and 106, we see many references to Exodus. I find it really cool that the Bible is the only book that contains such an amazing connection between the past, present, and the future!

The verses I found most interesting were the lines,

“Then his people believed his promises.

Then they sang His praise.

Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done!

They wouldn’t wait for His counsel.”

[Psalms 106:12-14]

In Exodus, we see how easily distracted the people of Israel were. They praised God when they got their way, but the next moment they completely forgot and rejected Him! It made me think of how easily I too forgot to praise God when things don’t go my way, and how easily I forget His promises and His word when troubles arise.

I was too easily swayed by the world, seeking pleasure and following the norm that I never stopped to listen to what God had to say! I found that I plan things out of my own will before trying to “fit God in”. Even in reading the Bible, I skim it and try to get it done quickly, when actually I should be spending time dwelling in His Word, waiting for His counsel.

            Today was “Quiet Day”, a morning without classes, where we are encouraged to quiet ourselves and spend time with God away from the busyness of life. At first I started planning out the schedule of how I was going to spend the day, maybe start the day by walking to the nearest town, or singing a couple worship songs… but then I decided that I wasn’t going to plan anything, but rather stop and listen to what God had in mind. So I left all technology and possible distractions in the room, and went out into the garden with a blanket, a pen, and paper. I didn’t start with the typical prayer of "sorry, thank you, and can you help me with this", but rather just sat and waited for the quiet voice of God. “Be still, and know that I am God [Psalms 46:10]”, He said. And I was amazed, because within the first hour of quiet listening, God taught me so many things that I never planned or thought possible! I was too busy writing down the list of lessons that He taught me, that I didn’t even have time to speak! The quieter I got, the louder His voice spoke. How easy it is to know the will of God; it is always right there in His word! His spirit will teach me His will, if only I stopped, and listened.

There are always reasons to Bless the Lord, just start counting!

"Bless the Lord, oh my soul,

Oh my soul, worship His holy name"