Todd Agnew is a nationally respected songwriter, worship leader, speaker and Ardent Records recording artist. He and his family currently live in Dallas, TX where he is attending Dallas Theological Seminary. He is known for such songs as Grace Like Rain, This Fragile Breath, My Jesus, and Our Great God (w/Rebecca St. James). Find out more at toddagnew.com.

Several years ago, I was writing songs for an upcoming project with my good friend Chris Collins (with whom I wrote "Grace Like Rain”). Looking for inspiration, we were flipping through some old hymnals when Chris said, “I’ve never heard this song but I love this title.” I looked down and saw “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven.”

I had recently been intrigued for by the idea of instructing ourselves—of commanding our own souls--to obey. The most familiar passage on this is Psalm 103:1: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” David tells his own soul to bless the Lord. It’s a good reminder that we have to intentionally command our souls to give God the glory he is due.

The great preacher D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote:

“Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that...