Thousands of Reasons to Pray

By Alessandra Velsor

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. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, my soul.”—Psalm 103 (NIV)

Do you often talk to yourself? Whether it’s repeating back your grocery list as you race through the store to find those items and vocally check them off your list or a Bible verse you’re trying to memorize to help you through a difficult season, somehow talking out loud helps you concentrate on the task at hand. Did you know this is a scientific fact?

According to Psychology Today, research shows that self-talk has incredibly powerful benefits to our mental health such as enhanced performance, emotional regulation, self-compassion, and self-motivation. Psalm 103 is believed to be written by an older and wiser David who’s benefitted from a little self-talk in his life. But the benefits don’t stop with self-talk. When we praise God and thank Him for all the good He’s done in our lives, we reap a ton of benefits, many of which are listed in this psalm!

The psalmist makes a point of reminding us that worship isn’t just an emotional experience, it’s also a rational one. Like the praise and worship song “10,000 Reasons” goes, there are so many reasons to praise His holy name!

We praise a God who forgives and heals!

We praise a God who redeems and is loving and compassionate!

We praise a God who is righteous and just!

We praise a God who is gracious and slow to anger!

and on and on . . .

We should praise Him not only with our actions, but wholeheartedly with everything that’s within us. When we come to the altar, we must surrender our thoughts and empty our minds from anything that could possibly distract us from a special encounter with our Lord. We ask our souls to bless Him, to praise His holy name, and to thank Him for His character and for His goodness. We praise Him when we’re on the mountain and all is well, but we should also offer Him praises when we feel deserted in the valley and darkness overwhelms us.

In the midst of our pain and suffering, our praise has more of an impact in our souls because we stand in abandon before His feet trusting His ways are much higher than ours. We could never sacrifice as much as God the Father did. We remember Him as He sacrificed His beloved Son who through Him offers us atonement for our sins and is generous in forgiving us over and over again with new mercies every morning. This very Son is our “great high priest who has ascended into heaven . . . empathize(s) with our weaknesses . . . who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet . . . did not sin” (Hebrews 4:14-16). We praise a gracious Father who has adopted us into His kingdom and who lovingly receives the most precious offering we can give to Him: our praise!

Pause: Recall one of your favorite experiences praising God. Do you remember how He used that time to speak to you in whatever season you were in?

Practice: Turn on some of your favorite praise and worship music and praise Him with all your heart!

Pray: Father, I praise You for everything in this psalm and for how You’ve revealed Yourself to me in such a personal way. Help me be kingdom minded as I go through my day and not get stuck over temporary issues that so often consume my thoughts. Strengthen my heart to endure whatever obstacles surround me and keep me safe from the enemy’s tactics to trip me from praising You. Amen.