Friday, August 03, 2012
Every athlete needs one. Every sporting team can get fired up by an inspiring one - a pep talk. In watching some of the Olympic games I see the coaches right in their athletes faces giving them last minute encouragement before their race or game. Probably the most famous pep talk was that of Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne, who rallied his team to "Win one for the Gipper."
Every follower of Christ needs a pep talk as well. We need motivation and inspiration to keep moving forward for the Lord. In Psalm 103, David begins the Psalm by giving himself a pep talk:
Every follower of Christ needs a pep talk as well. We need motivation and inspiration to keep moving forward for the Lord. In Psalm 103, David begins the Psalm by giving himself a pep talk:
Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits -
who forgives our sins
and heals our diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. (Verses 1-5)
This is a most important technique to learn. Sometimes there is
no one around us to uplift or encourage us. Sometimes we have no one on whom to
lean. What can we then do? We must learn to encourage ourselves in the
Lord. We must learn to give ourselves pep-talks, to talk ourselves out of
depression and despair.
How do we do such a thing? Well, that is just what Psalm 103:1
teaches us. The Psalmist is talking to himself here, telling himself the
truth—the facts—about the blessings and benefits found in his God. You might say
that Psalm 103 is true, biblical positive thinking: Praise the Lord, O my
soul.
When was the last time you talked to yourself like this,
saying: "Self, you have been down in the dumps long enough. You have been
fretting and fearful and fainthearted. Now, it is time to shake it off. Cheer
up! Remember God’s blessings to you. Don’t forget his benefits toward you. Have
you forgotten his divine presence? Have you been overlooking his promises? Bless
the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name."
What benefits and blessing are we to consider? 1) I am forgiven of all my sin. 2) God heals me from my diseases. 3) God loves me so much he bought me (redeemed) out of slavery and into a close relationship with him. 4) He crowns me with his love and compassion (that's better than a gold medal!). 5) God satisfies me with good things so I can soar like an eagle.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!!
We are in the race of our life! And often, we need a pep talk. Let me encourage you to go to Psalm 103 and give your soul some inspiration and encouragement based on the truth of God's word. Take a tour of God's rich blessings and remind your soul of all his benefits.
And remember this, God is giving us a "crown that will last forever!" (1 Cor. 9:25). Bless the Lord, O my soul!
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