The Christian life is a constant battle, unfortunately temptation doesn’t take a day off. It can be easy to start piling on all the perceived negative things in your life, not having the perfect job, not having as much money as someone else, as big of a house or as great of job, etc. Psalm 103 is a tremendous reminder of all that God has done for us and when we are able to step back and see how good God has been to us it puts our lives in perspective. Lets walk through the first 5 verses of Psalm 103 –
Vs 1 – Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
You may not feel like blessing or praising the Lord right now, but hang on.
Vs 2 – Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
Forget not all his benefits is a great reminder for us, isn’t it so easy to forget all that God has done for you and all the benefits of being a Christian? You don’t have to struggle with guilt because your heavenly father has forgiven you, you don’t have to live in loneliness because the High King of the Universe has bought you and made you His child, lavishing you with love and grace. Yes, there are an increasing number of challenges presented to those who choose to follow Christ but the benefits are immeasurable. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Philippians 3 that all things lost in this life are but rubbish compared to knowing Christ.
vs 3 – who forgives all your iniquity,
In Christ God forgives all of our sin. Not some, not just our past sins but all of our sins. Just a few verses later the Psalmists will write “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities”. Stop and think for a moment, what would happen if God dealt with you according to your sins? If God simply let you reap everything you earned through your sins. First off we would all be dead and in hell already but think of the heartbreak, anguish and pain that would be caused not just in your life but in the lives of those you love if God simply let all the deserved consequences of your sin happen. For many just exposing our sin would be devasting. God’s amazing mercy and grace should never be taken for granted.
vs 3b – who heals all your diseases,
This is a testimony not a promise. Obviously God doesn’t heal every single disease, well at least not yet anyway. We can however take comfort in the fact that God still works miracles and that someday He will fully stamp out all diseases and disabilities.
vs 4 – who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
God has redeemed us from physical death and destruction in hell. We also can see how often God has saved us from destroying our own lives. Where would you be today if it weren’t for Christ? Where would your marriage be? Where would your children be? He has surrounded us with his faithful, loyal love and mercy.
vs 5 – who satisfies you with good
I find this phrase to be one of the most amazing phrases of this passage, God not only keeps us from evil but He lovingly gives us good things that satisfy us. If you do not find your life satisfied and completed in Christ it is not because he is withholding something from you it is because you have let discontentment and the love of worldly things blind you from seeing God’s amazing gifts to you. Having a job that you enjoy and can use to glorify God is a gift from Him, being able to serve in ministries in your local church and enjoying the pleasure of seeing lives changed is a gift from Him.
vs 5b – so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
God is our source of strength. Are you feeling weak today? Then run to God and his Word, He is the one who can renew your strength. Focus your heart on His abundant mercy and faithful love to you and allow Him to work in your heart and life today.