1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
I find this verse very interesting. The verse gives us an understanding of what we are to do, how we are to do it, and when we are to do it.
It is very simple.
- What: Bless the Lord
- How: Praise Him;
- When: At all times and continually
Blessings and Thanksgiving
The phrase “Bless the Lord” is found throughout the scriptures. I have always understood this phrase to mean the opposite of God blessing us. When the LORD blesses His creation He is giving strength and help to those He is blessing. He is “adding to” their lives. When we “Bless the Lord” it is our “response” to His blessing us. Since we cannot add to God in any way or fashion, the phrase is easily understood as “thanksgiving” “rejoicing” “grateful”. So when the Psalmist is saying “I will bless the LORD” he is saying he will give thanks to the LORD for all the blessings received from His hand.
This is key in understanding the rest of the two verses. I will give thanks to the LORD.
The end of that statement sets the standard for blessing the Lord. We are to do this “at all times”. As a Christian this is one of the strongest tools we have to help ourselves and those who are struggling with a dark season in their life. It is a strong tool because it calls us to look to the Lord our Creator, which will show us the many blessings He has given us, which then starts the process of moving from “woe is me” to “God is good”.
Although it is one of our strongest helps in counseling, it is not an easy process to begin. You see the verse is telling us to “bless the LORD at “all times””. This means in the sunlight and the darkness, in the valleys and the mountain tops, in plenty and in dearth, in life and in death. To meet a brother or sister who is in the despair of loss or injury and to tell them to give thanks to the LORD is a challenging process, but the reward (blessing) is worth the effort.
Developing a heart of thanksgiving
To be able to fulfill this calling (Bless the Lord at all times) takes having a heart that is thankful. If I am focused on myself and my wants and desires I will usually miss out on seeing all the LORD has done for me, which would rightly require me to be thankful. For me to fulfill this expectation I need to be cultivating a heart of thanksgiving. It cannot be something I rummage through the closet of my heart looking for when I need it, like an old tennis racket or work boots. No, for me to have the strength to THANK THE LORD AT ALL TIMES, I need to feed my heart with the truth and wonders of God and His blessings towards me. Truth that speaks over my thoughts and blasts through my emotions. Truth that can be a solid rock which my faith is built upon.
Continually in my mouth
The verse closes with the words “His praise shall continually be in my mouth”. There can be volumes read on praising God, and much can be shared, but I want to follow the thought from “at all times” which I see as circumstantial and then move to “continually” which is linear time, chronological and not related to circumstance.
Where one is understood in the idea of thanking the LORD no matter what season of life I am in, this speaks to what comes out of my mouth. The first being regardless of life’s woe or wonders; the second the constant flow of a stream.
Is what comes from my mouth praiseworthy? Is what I am saying speaking of God’s greatness? Are my words heavenly or worldly? Kind or kindling? Soothing or stinging? Praise shall continually be in my mouth is no small matter but in actuality, an excellent quest for all who claim redemption by the blood of Christ Jesus.
Amen?