Psalm 103

As I read the first line of this psalm, my mind raced to the days of my childhood and singing the lyrics:

Bless the Lord, Oh, my soul
And all that is within me
Bless His holy name

He has done great things
He has done great things
He has done great things
Bless His holy name

He redeemed my soul
He redeemed my soul
He redeemed my soul
Bless His holy name

Thank you for letting me have a nostalgic moment.

Being thankful is important. Many scriptures prompt us to give thanks. Genuine appreciation is enthusiastic—it eagerly invites others in positive acknowledgment and celebration of the goodness of God. You can say thanksgiving is emotionally contagious.

The Psalmist David is an excellent example to follow. We read in this psalm, “The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything” (103:19). David found this encouraging and such a reason for rejoicing that he took delight in praise and urged the whole created order to recognize and rejoice that God is firmly on the throne.

But I want to look at something we’ve all experienced but may not have been able to put into words. Our perspective of God can be distorted and cause problems with our visions and imagination of God, high and lifted on His throne. He may seem to appear remote and inaccessible, removed from us and unmoved by the fluctuations of life we endure. But nothing could be farther from the truth. In reality, it is the wonder of the divine-human relationship that our great God is inherent (i.e., close by). Our Lord, who rules the heavens and the earth, is very aware of and concerned with our lives’ details.

God’s thoughts toward each of us are loving, and he continually considers that we are frail, fallen, and finite. David made this idea clear when he said, “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he understands how weak we are; he knows we are only dust” (103:13-14). God is aware of our human restrictions. He knows all about our sinful tendencies, and he recognizes how fragile our hold on life is. So, he deals with us accordingly—both firmly and tenderly.

God does not overlook our failings or excuses our sin. Quite the opposite, he holds us responsible. Still, He makes way for us to be forgiven through the gracious work of Jesus Christ on the cross (His death, burial, and resurrection). In fact, “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases” (103:3). While we struggle in this life, we should keep in mind our sins will finally be forgiven. Our diseases will eventually be healed, and we will be finally ransomed from death when we are with Jesus Christ in heaven. All this is because of Him. In the meantime, we can say with David, “He fills my life with good things” (103:5)—and we can be grateful.

I want to encourage you to keep telling yourselves of God’s tender mercies because we have a deep-rooted tendency to forget. We endeavor to take steps to “never forget the good things he does” for us (103:2). As we consider these things, each of us, whatever our frame of mind, should stop and say, “As for me—I, too, will praise the Lord” (103:22). Remembering God’s tender mercies makes for warm hearts, and generous hearts warm up other hearts to “praise his holy name” (103:1).

Spend time praising & thanking God for the good things in your life. Make every day Thanksgiving day!