Bless the Lord
Bless the Lord, O my soul... Psalm 103:1

I made the mistake of going to Walmart on a Sunday night. It was crowded with all the other people who needed to get supplies for the coming week. The shelves weren't stocked, and it just seemed like everyone was in my way.

The little things quickly stacked up and I found myself fuming mad in the middle of the produce section!

But then something happened, an answer to prayer. In the midst of the "noise", I thought "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger..."

It may seem trivial, but my prayer to be reminded to praise God in spite of my circumstances was answered!

It was also an excellent reminder of how quickly I can become so focused on my circumstances that I forget the greatness of God.

This week, would you be so bold as to pray that same prayer, "God, in the middle of my circumstances, would you remind me to bless Your holy name"?

I'm so thankful God "does not deal with according to our sins" (Ps. 103:10). I'm thankful that He is "slow to anger" and He doesn't "keep His anger forever" (Ps. 103:9).

Over and over again, we're reminded that He is a loving Father who knows our limitations (vs. 14) and patiently waits for us to return to Him again and again (vs. 8). He is even merciful in His correction, not giving us what we deserve (vs. 10), but also not allowing our sin to go unchecked.

Reflection Questions:

• Do I bless (praise) the Lord with ALL that is within me?
• Do I worship God based on my circumstances or based on His character?