Slices
Prepare
What comes more easily to you – to focus on the tough things of life or the blessings of life?
Bible passage
Of David.
1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits –
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 the Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbour his anger for ever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children –
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Explore
What’s your memory like? Do you easily forget where you left your car keys or what day your dentist appointment is? We can all easily forget the mundane things of life, but we can also readily lose sight of the big things too, such as the great blessings we have as children of God. Concentrating on the struggles of life can often come more easily to us as we grumble our way through life. In Psalm 103, the great king David gives us a clear provocation in this regard – ‘forget not all his benefits’ (v 2).
The benefits of a life lived with God are many! And in case our memory is failing us, David reminds us of some of them – forgiveness and healing (v 3), redemption and love (v 4), satisfaction and renewal (v 5) for starters. Which of these benefits are you most grateful for today? The central section of the psalm (vs 7–18) is a wonderful poetic description of the greatness of God as David emphasises the unmatched love God has for us and how he ‘does not treat us as our sins deserve’ (v 10).
How are we to respond to these reminders? David is very clear – our response is to live lives of worship. The psalm is bookended by a series of calls to ‘Praise the Lord’ (vs 1,2; vs 20–22). Worship – with our lips and our lives – is the right response to the multiple, undeserved blessings we have as followers of Jesus.
Respond
Take time to remember God’s blessings and ‘praise the Lord’ today.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Isaiah 25,26; Psalm 104
Pray for Scripture Union
Today and tomorrow see the last two days of East, West and South Asia Community Group meetings in Thailand which started last Thursday. Pray that God will guide them as they come to final conclusions. (This week's prayers relate to this article.)
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