Do you ever find yourself forgetting just how much God has done for you? Life gets busy, you seem to be holding your own, and gratitude fades.
If you can relate, I’d like to invite you to spend some devotional time in Psalm 103, a psalm that overflows with praise for all of God’s benefits. The psalm urges us to remember and rejoice—remember who God is and what he has done for us, and respond with gratitude and worship.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” – Psalm 103:2
Psalm 103 has always been a favorite of mine. During a difficult period of my life, God showed me that I could not live without him and needed to surrender my life to him. Psalm 103 became my life song as I began to understand just how much God had done for me through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice—forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, mercy, and life (vv. 3-5).
Over the years this psalm has helped me discover more about who God is—righteous, just, able to be known, merciful, gracious, patient, full of steadfast love, forgiving, and compassionate (vv. 6-14). It has reminded me that I am finite, but God is in control, he can be trusted, and his love is forever (vv. 15-19). And every time I read this psalm I am reminded that for all of these benefits—and more!—God is worthy of my obedience, my life-long worship, and my whole-hearted praise (vv. 17-22).
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” – Psalm 103:1
In his devotional series, Bless the Lord, Rev. David Bast takes us through Psalm 103, verse by verse, benefit by benefit, and shows us how each of the promises of God have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He calls it the “Communion Psalm” because of its use in his church as a song of thanksgiving after the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
I, too, have had the joy of hearing Psalm 103—the psalm God used to reach me many years ago—read aloud after every Lord’s Supper in my church. After remembering Christ’s sacrifice for me, the words of this psalm seem to be the most natural expression of my heart—a deep joy and thankfulness that can’t help but overflow into praise: “Bless the Lord, O my soul!”
Here at Words of Hope, it’s our heart’s desire that Bless the Lord would help you experience that same joy as you spend time in Psalm 103. May the Lord “satisfy you with good” (Psalm 103:5).
Martha Markwat serves as Editorial Assistant at Words of Hope. A few of her favorite things are quiet walks in the woods, cooking dinners with family, and reading good books.
