I Bless Your Name

Today I work I was listening to the song "I Bless Your Name" by Selah on my handy dandy ipod, which I love because it's pink (but I love God more, don't worry, haha!). First I'll put the lyrics then I'll continue.

"In prisoners' chains

With bleeding stripes

Paul and Silas prayed that night

And in their pain began to sing

Their chains were loosed

And they were free

I bless Your Name, I bless Your Name

I give You honor, give You praise

You are the Life, the Truth, the Way

I bless Your Name, I bless Your Name

Some midnight hour

If you should find

You're in a prison in your mind

Reach out and praise

Defy those chains

And they will fall

In Jesus' Name "

I kept thinking about the last part about being in a prison in your mind. It is so easy to make yourself a prisoner to your own fears and thoughts. It's just another way the devil takes a hold in our lives, it starts in our heads but eventually leads to the heart. How do we overcome this? It's really hard to just reach out and praise God when we're fighting an inward battle in our minds but once we take the step and do it, God really does reach down to the deepest part of our hearts to heal. Think of Job, he wasn't happy he was sick but he still praised God and stayed true to the Lord. I love Ruth 4:14 where it says, "Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel!" Ruth was in a tough position; her husband dead, living in a foreign land, and only getting the remnants of what harvesters had already gleened. If I were her I'd probably be in a mental prison, worrying about the future, my mother-in-law, everything! And yet she stayed true, God blessed her, and through her living a life of praise even the women around her praised God! how awesome is that?

So when you feel like you're in a mental prison reach out and praise the Lord, He will remove the chains and set you free. He does for me. He will for you. We love you, Lord, I pray your Holy Spirit will fill the hears of anyone who reads this tonight and we will truly praise you from the depths of our hearts, letting you take away the chains of mental slavery. You, God, are our kindsman redeemer, the lover of our souls, and the deliverer of our hearts!