Psalm 103:1–14
Praise the LORD, my soul! Praise his holy name, all that is within me. Praise the LORD, my soul, and never forget all the good he has done: He is the one who forgives all your sins, the one who heals all your diseases, the one who rescues your life from the pit, the one who crowns you with mercy and compassion, the one who fills your life with blessings so that you become young again like an eagle. The LORD does what is right and fair for all who are oppressed. He let Moses know his ways. He let the Israelites know the things he had done. The LORD is compassionate, merciful, patient, and always ready to forgive. He will not always accuse us of wrong or be angry ⸤with us⸥ forever. He has not treated us as we deserve for our sins or paid us back for our wrongs. As high as the heavens are above the earth— that is how vast his mercy is toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west— that is how far he has removed our rebellious acts from himself. As a father has compassion for his children, so the LORD has compassion for those who fear him. He certainly knows what we are made of. He bears in mind that we are dust.
It’s sometimes difficult to grasp that the Creator of the universe cares about us—that He bothers with miniscule people like us. Because we tend to forget about others and focus on our own tasks and needs, we’re prone to think that God isn’t concerned with the details of His creation—that He’s not intimately involved in every aspect of our lives.
Psalm 103 presents a different understanding of God. The psalmist describes a God who wants to know us and wants us to respond to Him. He illustrates a responsive love. Because of God’s love for him, he declares, “Bless Yahweh … all within me, bless his holy name” (Psa 103:1). God doesn’t stop at forgiving our sins and redeeming us. He “crowns [us] with loyal love and mercies” (Psa 103:4). Although we have greatly offended Him, He doesn’t hold it against us: “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us according to our iniquities” (Psa 103:10). As a father, He knows where we fail, and He pities us: “For he knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust” (Psa 103:13–14).
We can easily forget that God is concerned about our existence and jealous for our praise. If we don’t realize His work and thank Him for it, we’re not bringing Him glory. Ultimately, He has shown His love through His act of reconciling us to Himself. When we forget where we stand with Him, we can look to that great testament of His love. Then we can be like the psalmist and respond with praise.
Do you doubt God’s love and care for you? Does this affect your praise for Him?
LET US NOT FORGET OUR GOD LOVE US AND CARES ABOUT US, AND HE DESERVES OUR PRAISE.
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PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM