Do you ever talk to yourself? In Psalm 103 King David is addressing himself. “Bless the Lord”, he exclaims, “Bless the Lord, O my soul”. It’s clear that he’s holding a conversation with himself. This isn’t by any means a unique experience for a believer. In fact it’s often a sign that a Christian thinks deeply about his religion. It shows that the person is concerned about making progress in spiritual things.
Do you ever get alone in the Lord’s presence and review your life? It’s accepted business practice for employees to have an annual appraisal. What happens is that the person being appraised gets together with his or her senior or manager and has a thorough review of progress or otherwise in the past year, frankly assessing strengths and weaknesses, and to identify goals to strive after. This can be a chastening experience, but also very positive if done in the right spirit.
One of the benefits of watching a tennis match on television is that the camera often focuses on the players at moments of great tension. If they’ve missed a shot, they tell themselves off. If they’ve won a difficult point, they show uninhibited joy. We seem to have caught David in one of these private moments of making known his innermost thoughts. He’s suddenly become aware of God’s great gifts to him and his whole being wells up in an expression of thankfulness.
David issues himself an instruction, “Bless the Lord, O my soul”. So let’s step within earshot as David begins speaking to himself. Let’s listen as the inspired poet opens his heart on the most important relationship a person can have – with God. David knew how easy it was for him to forget the gracious way in which the Lord had blessed him. This was despite his failings, so he recalls five great blessings the Lord grants to all that put their trust in him. Five benefits the Lord has bestowed upon us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
David records that his relationship with God has revealed him as:
THE GOD WHO FORGIVES
“Bless the Lord” he urges his whole being, “the Lord, who forgives all your iniquity.” It’s quite right that this should be the first benefit mentioned because it is our primary need. We can never have fellowship with God until the question of our sin has been dealt with.
David knew his need of forgiveness. Although he was a great man who had done much good for his country, he had
fallen into temptation and had committed some terrible sins that are recorded in the Bible, in addition to the
lesser failings common to all. And yet he’d found that the Lord was merciful to those who repented and looked to him for forgiveness.
The Psalm makes it quite clear, "He has not punished us as we deserve for all our sins. For his mercy towards those who fear and honour him is as great as the height of the heaven above the earth." This anticipated the wonderful provision that God has made in the gift of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. How was this made possible? He came to make atonement for our sin on the Cross. To make forgiveness possible for us. The Lord Jesus has borne the penalty that we should have suffered. In fact he offers a free pardon which is even better than being forgiven.
No wonder that David urges himself to bless or praise the God who forgives. He then turns to praise:
THE GOD WHO HEALS
Does God heal today? Yes, indeed he does. There can’t be many Christians, who at a time of physical weakness haven’t lifted up their hearts to God in earnest, believing prayer. The fact that their recovery may not have been instantaneous or that the sickness appears to have run its course or that medical aid has been used, is no argument against divine healing. God doesn’t bind himself as to how he operates. Jesus didn’t come into the world to stop suffering, nor to explain it, nor to take it away, but to fill it with his presence. But having said that, we can also take heart that he has given us specific promises in his Word to encourage us to look to him for healing - for indeed he is able.
Healing is a gift from God. He is sovereign in its distribution. We might be tempted to think it would be so much simpler if the gift of healing could be received on request like reaching out for a bottle of medicine. But that isn’t so. It isn’t God’s way. A balanced view of Scripture indicates that God plans for us. He has the best in mind for us and, in his permissive will, may allow health and strength, or weakness and suffering, long life or short life. It’s not for us to question his decision. C S Lewis wrote that God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. Sickness can be God’s megaphone to draw our attention back to him.
Remember how an oyster makes a pearl? When a grain of sand gets into its shell and irritates it, instead of resisting and resenting it, the oyster wraps it in a layer of beauty until a pearl is formed. God works through all our circumstances, for our good and to his glory. How does this square up with David’s confident assertion that the Lord is he "who heals all your diseases"? It would seem that the reference here is primarily to the healing of our souls. Conversion is but the start of the journey of faith. We need the work of the Holy Spirit to heal our soul’s diseases - our failures and faults. But we have a responsibility to live positively.
I came across a helpful quotation : "We give our troubles a shaking for fear that they may go to sleep; run them around the square for fear that they may grow weak for lack of exercise; we constantly breathe life into them lest they die of oxygen; we massage them and train them to keep them fit; we bathe them, dress them, brush them and do all in our power to keep them presentable; whereas a little wholesome neglect is what they really need." I believe that’s good advice.
Remember David’s words in Psalm 23, "He restores my soul." He restores what is out of harmony, what is out of joint. Let’s be like David, urging ourselves to bless and praise God who heals, and then go on to praise:
THE GOD WHO PRESERVES
David didn’t live a sheltered life. Even as a young shepherd lad he’d been within a hair’s breath of certain death, and ever since danger seen and unseen had never been far away. That’s the thought behind his praise to God who "redeems your life from destruction". David didn’t claim that he was automatically preserved from being troubled by dangerous circumstances. What he’s saying is that, in these circumstances, God watches over him and preserves him. The historian recounts how King Saul, jealous of David, tried on two occasions to kill David but he escaped these attempts on his life. The historian notes that "the Lord was with him". The Lord had redeemed David’s life from destruction.
Does this mean that the Christian is always protected from harm and danger? No, but rather that the Lord keeps his children in the centre of his will, all the time and in all circumstances. No harm can come to them unless he permits it. It means that there’s no such thing as "chance" or "being lucky". The Apostle Paul confirmed this when he wrote, "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him" (Rom 8:28). Sometimes God has to allow unpleasant things to happen to bring us back into the line of his will or to further his purposes that are beyond our understanding. They may be perplexing but allowed by a God of love. David recalled the events of his life and realised how time and again God had "preserved his life from destruction" and so he gave thanks to God who preserves.
David’s theme of God’s gracious dealings with him is far from exhausted, and he goes on to tell of his Lord as:
THE GOD WHO PROVIDES
David praises his God who "crowns you with steadfast love and mercy". He had been crowned as king but his subjects were fickle and apt to lose their loyalty as he grew old. He contrasts this with God’s abiding provision for him. It was steadfast and unchanging. This privileged status is extended to all of God’s people. We have a relationship with Jesus, who never changes. He is "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb 13:8).
The famous preacher, C H Spurgeon, visited a farm and noticed that the weathervane was made up of the words "God is love". He asked the farmer, "Does this mean that God’s love is as fickle as the wind?" "No" replied the farmer, "on the contrary, whichever way the wind is blowing, God is love!" Another well known preacher, D L Moody, an American evangelist of the last century, would quote St Paul’s words, "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:19): Here is a bank cheque. The firm, "My God"; the promise, "shall supply"; the amount, "all you need"; the capital, "his riches"; the address of the bank, "in glory"; the signature, "Christ Jesus". Then he would add, "This cheque must be endorsed by the person to whom it is made payable." How does this happen in practice?
God does supply our spiritual needs as we look to him in prayer and by reading his Word. He cleanses us from the defilement of this world as we confess our need. He directs us as we look to him for guidance. He’s in control if only we will trust and obey him. We need to be in the position of a pilot of an aircraft coming in to land. Air traffic control guides the pilot through various holding positions; he can’t just please himself if he is to land safely. We need to have the same trust in our God who will never let us down.
David made some dreadful mistakes that had bitter consequences. But God didn’t abandon him and it was God’s gracious dealings with him, which caused him to bless and praise God who provides and not forget all his benefits. But there was yet another aspect that called for David’s thankful praise. It was in respect of:
THE GOD WHO SATISFIES
God, he declares, "satisfies your mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s." David
was thanking God for the temporal blessings of life that he enjoyed. He didn’t take them for granted, but thanked
God for the abundance of his provision. We live in a part of the world that is especially favoured with a plentiful supply of food and the necessities of life, but there are many others where the reverse is the case. A poet expressed the plight of the hungry when he sighed, "O God, that bread should be so dear and flesh and blood should be so cheap". Let’s join David in returning thanks to God for his provision of our material needs.
God knows what we need. One of my favourite texts is "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you" (1 Pet 5:7). I read the story of a man riding down the road on a horse and cart when he saw a stranger struggling under a heavy load. He stopped and offered him a ride that was gladly accepted. But as they rode along together, he noticed the stranger still kept carrying the huge sack on his back. So he said, "Why don’t you just lay it down?" The stranger replied, "Oh no, it’s good of you to carry me. I couldn’t expect you to carry my burden too!" We can smile at the simpleton, but that’s what we do if we don’t allow God to take care of us.
God has his way of giving us strength for the journey of faith. The psalmist likens it to what nature provides for the renewal of the eagle. He’s thinking of how the eagle’s bill through constant use gets long and crooked with the result that the bird finds it difficult to eat. But nature has provided that the eagle may cast its bill, and so is revived and strengthened, and so to speak, becomes young again. This is exactly what can happen to the Christian. Times come when we are low in spirit, when the stream of spiritual life is at a low ebb. But the Lord intervenes with a season of spiritual refreshing and the believer becomes aware again of the presence of God, and is revived. We cry out, "Do it again, Lord. Do it again".
In these few verses David has been recounting his indebtedness to God for all his mercies and blessings that have been granted to him. He shows us how to be thankful not only in a general way, but to take trouble to review the specific benefits we receive from our loving heavenly Father. It’s a heritage that’s given to all Christians, but all too often we fail to appreciate or to take advantage of the spiritual resources provided for us. But David has discovered and drunk deeply from this fount of blessing. At times he may have struggled. He may have found his discipleship costly, but it was worth it all.
It reminds me of a story I read in the biography of a missionary concerning an Indian law student who became a Christian. He asked the missionary if he could be baptised secretly as, if he was baptised in a public service, his Hindu father would cut off his allowance and disown him. The missionary insisted that baptism must be an open confession of faith in Christ or nothing. The student accepted the condition and was duly baptised. His father did cut off his allowance and he had to leave the university. Instead of becoming a barrister he became a clerk. When the missionary was returning to England the young man came to see him off at the station. The missionary told him how sorry he was that his conversion had meant such a sacrifice, but the young man gripped the missionary’s hand and said, "But it is worth it!"
David expressed his thanksgiving by calling upon all his being to praise the name of the Lord, his God, who forgives, who heals, who preserves, who provides and who satisfies. May David’s example of addressing his own soul, of taking himself to task, be followed by all of us. It will add to the volume of praise which ever ascends from the hearts of the redeemed, "Bless the Lord, O my soul".
In the words of the hymn:
"How good is the God we adore,
Our faithful, unchangeable Friend!
His love is as great as his power,
And knows neither measure nor end!
’Tis Jesus, the First and the Last,
Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home;
We’ll praise him for all this is past,
And trust him for all that’s to come."
