Praise the Lord, O My Soul by Sarah Ruut

“Praise the Lord, O my soul!

With all that is within me, praise his holy name!”

(Psalms 103:1, NET)

You probably know that David was not afraid to be genuine and to pour out his heart in his songs. He pleads for deliverance, vents his anger, and begs for forgiveness. Here in Psalms 103 we find him pouring out his love for the Lord.

Do we do the same? Does our worship bubble out of us, unstoppable?

I’m afraid, unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Sometimes we go to church because it’s just what is expected of us. We sing the songs because that’s what you’re supposed to do. We go through the motions, doing what we ought, and then we go home. As we make our way through the week, our time and effort is spent putting out “fires” and tending to the billions of little things we all have on our overly-full plates. There’s not much time for the Lord, because we have so much else to do.

Before we know it, it’s time for church again. We load up and head out, only to repeat the same expected pattern once more.

Sound familiar? Trust me, if that describes you, you’re not alone.

So what made the difference for David? He didn't just say, “Thanks, God! You got me out of that mess!” He didn't text, “PTL!” and go on with his day. He didn't even post on Facebook: “David is feeling blessed.”

It was more than a lack of technology that made his response different! ;-) Here’s what he said: 

“With all that is within me, praise his holy name!”

There’s the key. David wasn't doing what was expected of him. He wasn't going through the motions. Instead, he was praising God with ALL that was within him.

Praise like that comes from deep within us. It bubbles to the surface in response to who God is. The more we understand God, his nature and character, the more we desire to praise and obey him. It’s a natural outpouring that comes from the fullness of knowing God.

If your worship has been feeling a bit robotic lately, I encourage you to take some time digging through the following verses. I pray that He will show you, through His Word, just how praiseworthy He is. And I pray that, as your heart begins to overflow, you will join David in saying, “Praise the Lord, O my soul! With all that is within me, praise his holy name!”

Psalms 9:1

Psalms 28:7

Psalms 35:28

Psalms 40:1-3

Psalms 59:17

Psalms 68:19

Psalms 96:6

Psalms 103:20

Psalms 104:1, 14

Psalms 107:8

Psalms 119:7

Psalms 136:1, 25

Psalms 138:7

Sarah Ruut is an avid reader who loves talking books and authors on her blog. Although she is regularly interrupted by geometry proofs and foreign languages, she wouldn’t trade her homeschooling days for anything. All she needs is a cinnamon roll and a great novel to get through the rough spots!

You can find devotional thoughts as well as reviews of Christian fiction, interviews with amazing authors, giveaways and more at sarahruut.com. You can also connect with Sarah on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahruut