Psalms 103:1-5 ESV
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit,  who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Understand, David is praising God, but at the same time he is encouraging himself. David was not only a man after God’s heart and that is the extreme of where we should be but he was also a master of encouraging himself. If no one else was going to lift David up, he would do it all on his own.

Why was it so important to encourage ourselves? We often feel disappointed and become critical of ourselves when we realize we haven’t reached the goals we set or become who we think we should be.

Psychologists say, self-forgiveness, self-acceptance, and self-encouragement are important steps in our awareness of who we are. God says we are loved, we are blessed, we are important but often we don’t accept that for ourselves. It’s easier to accept that for someone else.
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Without self-encouragement, we tend to slip back into our old habits of self-blaming and self-criticizing. I believe David was faced with isolation as a child, forgotten, out of sight, out of mind. What he was a pro at was praising the Lord in songs and Psalms. I believe with that ability, God showed him how to build himself up, even if no one else would.

Prayer:
Father, thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made and I am loved beyond measure.