Recently we’ve introduced Matt Redman’s song 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) to our church, (click here for audio youtube link)  and the congregation – both young and old have quickly grown to love it. Here are some reasons for why I think they’ve taken to it, and why it’s a good song for any church to sing:

1. It is God Centred
You’re rich in love and you’re slow to anger
Your name is great and your heart is kind
For all your goodness I will keep on singing
This song causes us to remember the goodness, kindness and holiness of God, and that our right response is to worship Him.

2. It’s biblical
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul;
Worship His holy name.
Sing like never before,
O my soul; I’ll worship Your Holy name

You can’t help thinking that this song sounds as if it’s taken straight from the psalms, and that’s because in many ways it has…

Psalm 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 you life from the pit,
who crowns your life with steadfast
love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed
like the eagle’s.”

Matt Redman explains how this song basically flowed out from his meditation on Psalm 103, where he was struck by how David can’t help but overflow with praise for all God has done.
(see here for a video of Matt Redman talking about the song)

3. It reminds us why we praise
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find
Like David, we have so many reasons to ‘Bless the Lord’. He is so good and so worthy, we will never run out of reasons to glorify the Lord, for 10,000 years and forevermore. And in this way the song can point us to Jesus, just think for a moment about all that Christ has accomplished and all we have in Him – the love and kindness God showed us in Christ gives us more than enough reasons to sing!

4. It preaches to ourselves
Bless the Lord, O my Soul!
When we sing this song we are calling our souls to praise – it reminds us to bless the Lord with everything, from the soul, and from the heart, and not merely with our mouths, something that Jesus condemns as hypocrisy (Matthew 15:8).

5. It’s realistic about life
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
It’s realistic about the joys and challenges of life. This song reminds us that whatever happens, whether good or bad, hard or easy, it is right to still sing of the Lord’s goodness and praise Him.

6. It’s singable
It’s simple and singable (that is if you take it down a couple of keys, we do it in D)

7. It’s memorable
The chorus is especially engrained on my mind, and frequently I find myself singing it. Wouldn’t it be great if those in our congregations remembered that refrain from a Sunday and responded to themselves calling their souls to ‘bless the Lord’ throughout the week.

Ben Shaw – Christ Church Fulwood