Lift up your soul -

Putting your trust in the Lord
psalm25:1-2

Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.
O my God, I trust in thee (Psalm 25:1-2 KJV).

What does it mean to "lift up one's soul" to the Lord?
What does the phrase "nafshi 'essa" mean?
 
Well, the word 'essa comes from the verb nassa, often used in the Scriptures to refer to the lifting or bearing up of something (like the waters that lifted up the ark of Noah [Gen. 7:17] or hands that are lifted up in prayer [Psalm 28:2]). The word for soul (i.e., nefesh) refers to the breath of life within us – that force that animates our inmost will and desires. Nefesh is the gift of God's breath (nishmat chaim) wherein Adam became a living soul (nefesh chaiyah) (see Gen. 2:7).

When we "lift up our soul" unto the Lord, then, we are directing our inmost will by consciously focusing on the exaltation of the Lord God of Israel. And just as the waters lifted up the ark of Noah – above the adversity and raging of the great storm – so our soul is lifted up when we focus on the glory of the Lord God of Israel and put our trust in His Son, Jesus the Messiah.

May you, like King David, lift up your soul unto Him and trust in the Lord Jesus for your salvation this day.

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