Psalm 103 – Bless the Lord, O my soul
(by Vergis Mathew)
Praise the Lord, O my soul, all my inmost being (verse 1)
The Psalmist calls us to wholesome worship by magnifying His holy name, in faith, with all our inmost being (emotion, intellect and will).
Forget not all His benefits (verses 2-5)
Lest we forget, opening verse is repeated for emphasis. We are not to forget His benefits.
He forgives all your sins – greatest benefit; heals all our diseases; redeems our life from pit of destruction; crowns us lavishly with great love, tender mercy; satisfies us with good things, thus renewing our youth like soaring eagles (Isaiah 40:31). “Good” is superlative as in ‘God saw that it was good’ (Genesis 1)
Many of us hear about these benefits regularly. Has it become ‘white noise’?
Do we lose sight of the gravity of our sins and His utmost holiness?
Let’s remind ourselves constantly of David’s list.
His righteousness and justice with compassion (verses 6-13)
The Lord tips scales of justice in favour of oppressed. His ways of righteousness and justice were revealed to Moses, the Israelites and down the ages. God’s compassion and graciousness is manifest in Him being slow to anger and overflowing in mercy. God laid our sins on His son Jesus. As Our Father forgave us, we become His heirs.
We are mortals (verses 14-18)
Man was formed by dust and will return to dust. However, God’s love is everlasting, though we may fail often. His love continues into future generations, for those who fear and obey Him (Romans 8:38-39).
The Lord’s everlasting throne (verses 19-22)
The Lord’s kingdom extends forever. His angels, the heavenly hosts and man will be in His dominion. The Psalm closes with reminder, ‘Praise the Lord, O my soul’.
Let’s Read Psalm 103
Of David.
1 Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, O 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 harbor his anger forever;
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, O my soul.
Let’s Pray
Our Father in Heaven, may we learn to praise and worship you with all our inmost being. Help us Lord that we never forget any of your benefits bestowed upon us. Remind us always Lord to sacrifice thank offerings to Your Holy name. In Jesus name, Amen.
This devotional was kindly contributed by Dr. Chow Li Sze and her channel Heavenly Devotion. You may find the channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/HeavenlyDevotion/videos
About the Heavenly Devotion channel
The Heavenly Devotion channel is dedicated to encouraging you to listen to Bible Scriptures and pray with the Scriptures. They are inspired by the call of service as expressed and exemplified by Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:12-15.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrew 4:12 NKJV)
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