His Mercy Is More Series

His Mercy is More

Psalm 103:1-5

Rev. Brian Bill

August 30-31, 2025

Have you ever caught yourself talking out loud when no one else was around? The truth is, we all talk to ourselves more than we realize. Some suggest up to 80% of people engage in some self-talk, with many doing it on a regular basis. Experts say we talk to ourselves to process information, organize our thoughts, solve problems, and make decisions. One guy I know says he talks to himself because it’s the only way he can have an intelligent conversation! Another person said it’s OK to talk to yourself, and it’s OK to answer yourself. But it’s sad when you need to repeat what you said because you weren’t listening!

A few years ago, a baseball player was caught on camera between innings talking to himself. Later, when asked about it, he said, “Sometimes I have to remind myself who I am and what I can do.”

David does something similar in Psalm 103 as he does some self-talk, or more accurately, some soul-talk with himself. Listen to verses 1-2: “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.” David knew he needed to be reminded of who God is and what He has done. Because he was prone to forget God’s goodness, he gave himself a talking-to by talking tough to his soul. It’s like he's commanding his soul to bless the Lord. BTW, if you struggle with negative self-talk, Psalm 103 will help replace that destructive track in your mind with positive soul-talk.

• Be intentional. We’re told three times to “bless” the Lord. This three-fold repetition speaks of the highest form of worship. The word “bless” means, “to salute or bend the knee by speaking to and about the Lord in ways that bring Him honor and glory.” The title “Lord” is Yahweh, the unspeakable name of God used throughout the Psalm. We’re to bless the eternal I AM.

• Go internal. Twice David refers to his “soul.” He also uses the phrase, “within me,” which speaks of his insides. He’s saying something like this, “From the bottom of my heart and from my very soul, I will bless the Lord.”

• Give everything. I’m to bless the Lord with “all that is within me.” The word “all” is used five times in the first six verses and means, “each, every, and entire.” Nothing is to be left out and nothing is to be held back. To this point, the Psalm has 22 verses, which correspond to the Hebrew alphabet. Though not an acrostic like some of the Psalms are, the idea is that everything should be involved in praise, from A to Z.

That’s why one of the most important impulses of genuine worship is to plead with our own soul to give praise to God. One pastor says it might sound something like this: “Come on, soul, where are you? Why do you sleep before this God? Why are you dull and sluggish? Wake up! Look at what God has done! Look at what He is like! It’s time to bless Him for all the benefits He has granted you.”

We need to talk back to our feelings instead of letting them run our lives. Too many of us let our feelings drive the train when the Bible calls us to let the facts of God’s Word be the engine of our faith. If you let your feelings run everything, you’ll go off the rails. Instead of focusing on our burdens, we’re to bless God for all the ways He has blessed us.

In the last part of verse 2, David is determined to remember all that God has done for him: “…and forget not all His benefits.” The word “remember” means, “to recall, to mark, to set aside” and is used over 200 times in the Bible. This is not just bringing something back to mind; it implies a change of behavior, so our lives line up with what we’ve been reminded of. We’re to ponder and then put into practice by praising God for all the blessings He has bestowed on us. In short, we need reminders to remember because if we don’t, we’ll rebel.

The word “benefits” can be translated as “kind deeds, dealings, or doings.” Notice how we’re called to remember “all” His benefits. During our time of worship through music today, we sang these lyrics: “Your name is great, and your heart is kind. Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.” If you read through this entire Psalm, and I hope you will, you’ll find over 20 marvelous and magnificent benefits for the believer, leaving only 9,980 more to discover!