Bless the Lord...always

“Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion! Bless the Lord, O my soul!” Psalm 103:22

An attitude of praise implies two things. First, and most obvious, that God, as God, is greater than we are and deserves our devotion. The second is not as apparent, but I believe just as powerful. Praise unites all living human beings on one level of kinship. We are all part of God’s dominion, none neither greater nor lower.

The fact that God is greater than His creation should need little argument. By virtue of the relationship, the designer is always greater than that which is designed. As true as this is, it seems it is more difficult to play out in ordinary life.

I am in the fifth year of the most trying period of my life. Within a very short time we left a church, were without employment for quite a time, thought we had been called to another church only to have that become less certain, encountered a few difficult people immediately upon pastoring again and my father died before our first year there was up. Two and a half years ago I developed headaches that are unremitting. I have pain every day, 24 hours a day. There is not a moment of any day in which I am without pain.

Circumstances that seem to hide God’s goodness can drive us to think there is little to praise God about. The church we pastor now is full of wonderful, kindhearted believers who are walking through this whole pain issue with us. But we all find it difficult to understand the purpose in undergoing incurable chronic pain. I find it easier said than done to start my morning saying, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is with me bless His holy name.”

Quite plainly, I am not the only person who endures trials. As a pastor I encounter people with more difficult situations than my own on a regular basis. Some of them seem to almost serenely walk through their tribulations while others go kicking and screaming. Depending on the day, I can be pretty near the latter group. Our circumstances do mask God’s goodness if we allow them to.

Yet God is good. He is good no matter my personal pain level. I do not understand my situation, or why, having a perfectly healthy body for over 52 years, it now decides to go wacky on me. Another good friend of mine, even younger, must endure kidney dialysis three times a week, extreme shortness of breath, and constant internal pain. Can I complain given his difficulties much more challenging than my own?

But we both know God has a purpose. His works in us are not random. We find ways to praise Him even if they do not come naturally. He is grateful that dialysis is available at all. Without it, he would not be alive. I am grateful for family who understand, taking up the slack when I am at the end of my pain. Yet, even without those particular items, God would still be worthy. Some days my biggest reason to praise Him is that He lets me complain about my pain. He does not shut me out; He is willing to listen.

Still, we are just not prone to giving honor to another, even if that “other” is God. We want attention. We want people to like us. We strive to succeed and have people recognize that success.

Recently a central Pennsylvania pastor who said he was a Navy SEAL and Vietnam vet has been exposed as a fraud. Not only had he never been a SEAL, he had never served in Vietnam at all. He had even reminisced about being waterboarded and about being reassigned to kitchen duty for bad behavior. He had concocted a long trail of a tale full of falsehood.

The question remains: Why? As a pastor, I know the constant pressure to add to your flock. People just don’t think you’re succeeding unless the numbers increase. Perhaps he hoped the publicity about his (fake) SEAL career would create interest in his church. Who actually know?

What it does point out is how easily we let the spotlight blaze upon us, even when it is recognition we do not deserve. If only we could learn to give God His due credit, knowing that is the secret of true contentment. Living as part of God’s “dominion” is a place of beautiful submission to the God who loves us more than we can imagine.

Secondly, this praise should tell us a great deal about how we relate to others. We are all part of God’s “dominion.” Questions of “salvation” aside, every human being is an equal member of the domain of God’s reign. There are none more deserving than others. There are none who deserve to be ignored as if they do belong.

Yet I see God’s name used almost every day as an excuse for envy, hatred or prejudice acted out under the guise of virtue. Clearly religious men and women are attacked as being “anti-God” because their views differ from our own. I am not speaking of idol worshipers. I am speaking of fellow-Christians whose political leaning may tilt more right or left than we would prefer.

To be absolutely frank, I have seen this language used about our current president more than any other time in my lifetime. Though obviously a devout man, he is accused of being everything from anti-religious to the anti-Christ. This is what happens when we forget that the dominion of God includes every one of His creation!

As a pastor, I even experienced one group of people praying AGAINST another group in the same church! There was no praise of God happening, no matter how many Hallelujahs were repeated in the background. God gets no praise out of our anger and vitriol.

Let us bathe ourselves in the goodness of God. Let us allow His lovingkindness to melt over our tongues before we ever utter a word. Let us allow His patience to stop us in our sin-bent tracks. May the kindness of Christ be the banner that others can read clearly over our lives. May truth be the trophy of our day, not self-importance that is always a lie.

Yes, Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion! Bless the Lord, indeed!