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 iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Psalm 103:1-5 ESV
We’ll be spending the next several weeks looking at Psalm 103, a wonderful song of praise to the Lord.
To bless the Lord is to praise Him and to worship Him. David is exhorting us to bless the Lord with all our souls and with all we are. These first five verses are packed with reasons to bless Him, starting with His holiness. There is no one or nothing that is like our holy God; He is set apart and above every other thing and every other person.
And He gives many benefits to His people.
He forgives all our iniquity, our deliberate rebellion against Him, when we come to Him through Jesus. Not just some of our iniquity, all of it. And not just for some who seek forgiveness, everybody. (Romans 6:10, 1 Peter 3:18)
He heals all our diseases. Sometimes God brings physical healing while we’re alive, sometimes He chooses not to. If God doesn’t bring physical healing, we can trust that He has a good reason (Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 12:7-9). The ultimate physical healing comes in eternity where those who follow Jesus will have new bodies. He also heals us spiritually when we realize our brokenness without Him (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Corinthians 15:42-54).
He redeems our life from the pit, giving us salvation from our sins and eternal life with Him.
He crowns us with His steadfast love and mercy. I love steadfast as a description of God’s love and mercy. He is firm and unwavering, not changeable like the world. I can trust Him. And the crown reminds me that I’m a daughter of the King of kings, a princess in God’s kingdom.
He gives me good things that satisfy my soul and renew my strength. I can soar like an eagle with Him.
When I think of all the Lord has blessed me with, my heart overflows with praise and thanksgiving. What a generous Lord He is!
Think About: Which of His benefits will you praise the Lord for today?
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