The Hebrew word for soul is nefesh and means that part of a person into which God had breathed life itself. When a verse uses the word soul, it almost always means the most essential fiber of your being, your life itself.

The psalmist was writing praise from the deepest part of his life and the very essence of his existence when he said, “Bless the Lᴏʀᴅ, O my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” His highest praise and his deepest gratitude were for the blessings of the Lord. 

The psalmist repeated himself, which was the Hebrew way of expressing that the statement was complete, profound truth. He said again, “Bless the Lᴏʀᴅ, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” The psalmist was stressing the great need to praise God for his very life and all that God had done, or prospered, in his soul.

He was calling people to understand the depth of his praise to God for all that God had done in, for, and through his very life. When last did your praise for God come from your very soul?

Pause and truly experience a deep breath. Breathing is an action we rarely notice, yet it occurs many times each minute of every day. We will praise God from the depth of our souls when we realize that our need for God is as great as our need for that next breath. We will praise God when we realize our life is full of benefits that we often take for granted yet are the very essence of our daily lives.

Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. Wisdom is breathing in all our benefits so that we can breathe out the words and wisdom of our grateful praise. “Bless the Lᴏʀᴅ, O my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name!”