Saturday, May 06, 2006

Psalm 103:1-5



Posted by Picasa"Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Here is a command to bless the Lord with all that is within us; and here are some reasons why. Here is a command to remember what the Lord has done for us; and here is a list of those benefits.

"Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!" Oh, bless him with all that is in you- your thoughts, emotions, actions.
"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." We are too quick to forget them. They pass out of our minds as the seeds of dandelions blown by the wind. Do not forget! Remind yourself of them every day! "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah" (Psalm 68:19)
"Who forgives all your iniquities..." This is a beautiful statement which grows even more precious as we understand how awful our sin really is. But have you ever stopped to think about the phrase? I mean really think about it so that tears start in you eyes and your heart fills with emotion?
"Who heals all your diseases..." Charles Spurgeon says,"Humbling as the statement is, yet the fact remain: we are all more or less suffering under the disease of sin. What a comfort to know that we have a great Physician who is both able and willing to heal us!" (Morning and Evening; p. 305; "May 31") But He also will heal our physical diseases in His timing.
"Who redeems your life from destruction..." And how great in the destruction that we deserve! But for God's grace, our portion would be that of the self-seeking in Romans 2:8-9: "...but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness - indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek." He has redeemed us from this destruction! Oh, lift up your voice to the Lord in joy!
"Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies..." I can write no more concerning this bit. Your own heart can tell you more as it sings and weeps at the goodness of God and His mercies which He has poured out on you!
"Who satisfies your mouth with good things..." Both spiritual and physical food He gives us. His words our that food for our soul without which we would starve. He also provides for our physical needs because He loves us.
"So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." How often we try to lean on our own strength! From His word He gives us strength. It is His strength and not our own. Lean on His strength today and give up your foolish pride that thinks you can do it all on your own.

This is the end of Part 1 - Psalm 103:1-5.

4 comments:

Roberta said...

Beautiful Psalm...God is so good!
You are lightyears ahead of where I was at your age, I pray by God's grace my children will grow to know it's all about Him and through His strength.
The pics are gorgeous, are they yours or from the web?
Roberta :)

Sherrin said...

I am reading through the Psalms in my Bible reading plan, and they have been turning me to praise too! They continually encourage readers to praise God, and give so many reasons to do so! I like your image of the dandelion seeds blowing away - a great picture of this truth. We are so sinful, it is indeed all too easy for us to forget.

Homemanager said...

Excellent Post! Thanks for your thoughts on each section.

Kirk said...

Yes, the pictures are ours. We have a lot of pictures of scenery.
Thank you all for commenting, I shall be looking at the next section soon.

Kirk