Psalm 103:1-5 (NIV) - “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits-who forgives all your sins and heals all your 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 eagle’s.”

“PRAYING THE GOSPEL. Here is how to work the Gospel into one’s own heart until it transforms. It happens through inward dialogue, speaking directly and forcefully to your own heart (”my soul”) rather than just listening to it. Biblical meditation, unlike the popular varieties, is not a relaxation technique for emptying the mind but rather one that fills it with truth, using thought and memory to set your heart on fire. Here David dwells on the truth that God forgives sin and eventually will remove all suffering and diseases” (Timothy Keller, The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms, p. 253).

When the fears, anxieties and discouragements of earthly life rear their ugly heads, and try to squeeze our hearts dry, let’s pray the Gospel! Let us learn from David’s example and proclaim to our souls, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits…” until the Spirit’s work of transformation comes to our hearts and minds. God has conquered the “pit” with all forgiveness, healing, redemption, love and compassion, promised and fulfilled in Jesus Christ! The Gospel is “the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16), satisfying our desires and renewing our lives again and again. This is how greatly God has loved us - Praise the Lord, my soul! May God’s love set our hearts on fire!

-CH