Have you ever noticed that in the Psalms, David (and another unnamed psalmist) spoke to their souls?
For example, in Psalm 42 and 43, we read: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? … Put your hope in God.”
In Psalm 62:5, David tells his soul to “find rest in God.” And in Psalm 103, David repeatedly tells his soul to “bless the Lord.” And, while you’re at it, Soul, don’t forget all God’s benefits!
Our souls, which many define as the “mind, will, and emotions” don’t always automatically do what they’re supposed to. Sometimes, truth be told, we’ve got to remind them what to do.
Worried? “Hey, Soul , why are you worried? Look to Jesus!”
Afraid? “Soul, why are you afraid? Put your trust in God.”
Depressed? “Soul, why are you downcast? Put your hope in God.”
Athletes talk to themselves all the time.
“You’ve got this.”
“Just one more.”
“I don’t care if you feel like sleeping or sitting here on the couch– get yourself moving.”
“No, don’t stop now, you can do this.”
It’s the truth.
And our souls are no different. We may not always feel like praising, or feel like “blessing the Lord” or feel like reminding ourselves of all His promises.
But at some point, we’ve got to say, “You know, it doesn’t matter what I feel like. Soul, get up and worship.”
(That’s why I love the song “Gratitude” by Brandon Lake – The words say just this: “Come on, my soul … get up and praise the Lord!”)
So, let’s not wait for our souls to feel like singing, feel like worshipping, feel like forgiving, feel like loving. Just as the psalmists did, let’s start leading our souls.