Psalm 103:1

This famous opening line is a man talking to himself -- in the best possible way. "Bless the LORD, O my soul" is David rousing his own inner self to worship. He does not wait until he feels like praising; he commands his soul to do it. This is a powerful insight into the life of faith: worship can be summoned by the will, stirred up deliberately, rather than left to depend on passing moods.

The second line intensifies the call: "all that is within me, bless his holy name." Not part of him, but the whole of him -- every faculty, every affection, the entire inner person is summoned to praise. David refuses to offer God a divided or half-hearted worship. To "bless" God is to speak well of Him, to honor and adore Him, and David directs this toward God's "holy name" -- the revelation of who God is in His purity and greatness. The verse models a discipline worth learning: when the heart feels sluggish or distracted, we can call it to attention and direct it toward God. Praise is not only a response that happens to us; it is also something we can stir up within ourselves, gathering all that we are to honor the One who deserves it.