A couple of weeks ago we talked about the importance of God's name. My goal today is to, once again, look at God's name and see the way God loves us. God really does love us deeply. I'll be using Psalm 103 today. Prayer
Psalm 103 is a praise psalm. David is given credit for writing this psalm but we are not given any specific reason or occasion for David writing it. He could have associated this Psalm with the Thanksgiving offering, which was given by worshipers. But in addition to all of this, Psalm 103 could have served as a song used in a general setting of worship to praise our Lord for the benefits that He has given to us as His people. And doesn't God deserve to be praised? So, let's approach this in that mindset, giving God the praise that He so richly deserves.
Psalm 103:1- 2 – “My soul, bless the Lord, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 My soul, bless the Lord, and do not forget all his benefits.”
Again, we don't really know the details that led to the writing of this psalm, but we do know that this Psalm is a powerful description of who God is. If we are to break this psalm down into categories, we would see it is like a hymn with bookends. One bookend is verses one and two and the other book end is verses 20 through 22.
In verses 3-6, it is a discussion about the characteristics of God. And then in verses 7 - 19, we're given a summary of the joys of the forgiveness that God offers us. In some ways, this Psalm's focus on God, creates within us an urgency just to kneel before Him as we read it.
David knew that he had good reason to be grateful and to praise the Lord, but he also knew he needed to choose to turn his heart in God's direction. With all of his being, he wanted to bless the Lord, praising Him and speaking of His goodness.
The focus of this praise is once again God's name or His character. In fact, the repetition of the phrase "bless the Lord" reflects the highest form of praise. You might recall the angels crying out:
Isaiah 6:3 – “And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth.”
Or the creatures singing:
Revelation 4:8 – “Each of the four living creatures had six wings; they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night they never stop, saying,
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come.”
We can almost picture David in worship. And that worship is gripping, intense, intentionally giving thanks and praise. It came from deep within David. You can tell that it fills his soul from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. It's as if David locked eyes on God's goodness and is throwing himself into worship. When was the last time you worshiped like that? I read this and feel almost as if I have slighted God in my worship.
But at the same time David was aware that even he might take for granted all that God had done for him, so it seems like he's pushing himself to avoid letting that happen. He never wanted his commitment to be superficial or his worship to be just a religious activity. Does that remind you of any church services you have attended? Maybe when David wrote this, he had the warning that was written in:
Deuteronomy 8:14 – “be careful that your heart doesn’t become proud and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.”
Psalm 103: 3 – 5 – “He forgives all your iniquity; he heals all your diseases. 4 He redeems your life from the Pit; he crowns you with faithful love and compassion.
5 He satisfies you with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle.”
My dad always worked hard to provide for his family. I am so grateful that we had a roof over our head, food on our table, and clothes on our backs. So, in these verses, David focuses on the provisions that God offers us.
And as we think about it, we should focus our worship on how God provides for us. Even though my dad worked hard for the things we had, God is still the source of the good things that were made possible for our family. But God goes beyond that.
He forgives us. He heals us. He redeems us. He grants us victory over death. He loves us with a steadfast love. He satisfies our soul, and He renews our strength. When we worship God with all our hearts, we should think about these things and remember that God makes it all possible through our relationship with Him.
And all of these things that God provides comes from His love for us. It's as if David wanted to make sure he didn't forget all of God's benefits so he lists those benefits.
-He forgives all our sins. And that is such a huge benefit. God takes away all our sins. This is such a great benefit that David will address it again later in this psalm.
-He heals all our diseases. These diseases may be physical sicknesses, but the word may also be a metaphor for general adversity or troubles. God heals it all.
-He redeems us from the pit. He paid the ransom for us through Jesus's death, so that we might escape the ultimate death. So even though this is a phrase in the OT, it is referring to the resurrection. God rescues us when we can't rescue ourselves.
-He crowns us with faithful love and compassion. His steadfast love and abundant compassion are given to us freely. And yes, even when we are in the pit of life, God reaches us and gives us honor as His people.
-He satisfies us with good things. God fills our lives with His presence and His provision. One of those provisions is peace in Him.
-He renews our youth like an eagle. It's God who can revitalize us and allow us to soar with untiring strength as He rejuvenates us with a youthful spirit.
In all of this, God gives us exactly what we need. In reality, our lives are really fragile and fleeting. We will not live here forever. But because of God's compassion toward us and His enduring love, we realize that death is not the end as God offers us the gift of eternal life.
Psalm 103: 8-10 – “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love. 9 He will not always accuse us or be angry forever. 10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities.”
I am thankful that David included this in his praise worship. Many times mercy has been defined as when God doesn't give us what we deserve. I'm so glad of that. If God gave us what we deserved we would be in a heap of trouble. These verses remind us that God is slow to anger and He doesn't hold it against us.
So David continues his list of God's benefits. God extends to us compassion and grace. He is slow to anger and abounding and faithful love. He won't always accuse us or be angry forever. He has not dealt with us as we deserve.
No matter how hard we try not to, we commit sin and inequity. Because of that, we deserve death and judgment. It was Paul that wrote that “we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God and the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Have you ever wondered why God offers us these benefits? Because that's who He is. God is good to us because of who He is, not because of who we are. Since the wages of sin is death, we all deserve to die because of our sin. I have said it before, sin equals death. But God welcomes us into His presence as we call on His name.
Let me say it another way that we might better understand. The God of the Bible who spoke creation into existence is also our judge, and He has the right to enforce a righteous verdict on us. But through Christ, God offers us something quite different. He knows what we deserve because of our rebellion, but He has chosen to graciously forgive us and mercifully not repay us for our sin. So, David continues in his worship by saying:
Psalm 103: 11-13 – “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward 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.”
As the compassionate Father He is, God loves us, cares for us, and pursues us in our sin, the same as when He sought Adam and Eve after they attempted to hide in their rebellion. All of this is because God wants us in a relationship with Him.
A couple of weeks ago when we talked about God's name, I mentioned how we should approach God with reverent fear. Three times in this Psalm, v. 11, 13, 17, David stresses that we are to come to God in the fear of the Lord. This reverent fear is not only an awe over who God is, but it's also a confession that only God can offer forgiveness and eternal life. The One who created us is the only One who can redeem us.
Let's hear it again. We are to have a reverent fear of God while also recognizing that He is our compassionate Father. What does He do for us? He gives us life. He provides for us. He watches over us. He loves us. He grows us, conforming us to the image of His Son. God gives us eternal life so that we can be with Him forever. It's this Father who gave me the strength and the hope in my early years as a believer.
We can never fully understand the love and forgiving nature that God has for us. His love for us is far beyond our capacity to understand, reaching as high as the heavens are above the earth. That's what David was expressing in these verses. So God's love is immeasurable. His forgiveness separates our sin from us as far as the east is from the west. Now our sin is no longer a barrier between us because He's done all that's necessary to restore our broken relationship.
And all of this is part of the wonder of these verses. His love is beyond our comprehension. His forgiveness exceeds our understanding. Yet He reaches out to us as a compassionate Father who chases us down in our sin. He demands our respect, but His demands are grounded in mercy.
As we come to God in worship, we know deep down that God knows our every move. He knows our every sin. And if He gave us what we deserve, we would be in big trouble. But as we come to God in worship, that is when we realize how forgiving and compassionate He is. He who knows our frailties and weaknesses pursues us because of His undying love. If you have never asked Jesus to take over your life and your ways, and if you have never asked God to forgive you of something that is weighing heavy on your heart, then you really don’t know how it feels to have that burden lifted from your shoulders. Because that’s what God does.
I like the way CS Lewis wrote when he said, “God loves us not because we're lovable, because he is love. Not because he needs to receive, because he delights to give.” That is my god.
Psalm 103:17-19 – “But from eternity to eternity the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear him, and his righteousness toward the grandchildren 18 of those who keep his covenant, who remember to observe his precepts. 19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.”
Sometimes the best we can do is just to contemplate God's goodness to us rather than try to understand it. And that should be the element of our worship. We think about God's goodness, sense the wonder of it all, fall before Him, and honor Him. It's hard for us to just wrap our minds around the eternal God who rules over all.
God has no beginning or end, and that fact is itself beyond us. That's why God said I am who I am. In the opening words of Genesis 1, we read “in the beginning God. You see, God was already there when the beginning started. And God's faithful love is from eternity to eternity because He is both love and He is eternal. His steadfast love is without end because that's who God is.
God, from the beginning, put in place His plan to redeem His children, and He promises us everlasting life. God knows all of our failures yet He still loves us into eternity. And it is in Him that our short lives gain significance.
And so in David's worship moment, he stresses that God's love extends not only to his children but also to their children and grandchildren. God offers grace to all generations who choose to follow His teachings. And our obedience to God is a simple act of love. We should be like those who were the original recipients of this Psalm and have great joy in being assured that God's grace crosses the generations.
We have recently gone through the Easter season. As we're celebrating the coming of Christ, we should also be filled with wonder that the Kng of the Jews has called us to Himself. He rules over all, and that includes Him reigning within us through His Spirit. I am so grateful that God loves us this much.
I close with this: Maybe you've seen a small child extend her arms widely to show just how much she loves somebody, leaving the impression that she would extend her arms even more if it was physically possible. But no physical motion fully illustrates how much God loves us.
His love for us has no beginning or end. It stretches from person to person, generation to generation, and culture to culture. He's also promised us that He will never leave us or abandon us, and it is through God's great love that He keeps His promises to a people who sometimes struggle to keep their promises to Him. From His heart, He loves us all.
I hope that through this Psalm and through this message you realize how much God loves you. And I'll say it again, He desires nothing more than to have a relationship with you.
Do you know him? Have you asked Jesus to be your Savior? Jesus reminded us that He is the only way to our heavenly Father. If you have never done so, I encourage you to open your heart and receive Him today.
WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!!!
I'll be using Psalm 103 today. Prayer
Psalm 103 is a praise psalm. David is given credit for writing this psalm but we are not given any specific reason or occasion for David writing it. He could have associated this Psalm with the Thanksgiving offering, which was given by worshipers. But in addition to all of this, Psalm 103 could have served as a song used in a general setting of worship to praise our Lord for the benefits that He has given to us as His people. And doesn't God deserve to be praised? So, let's approach this in that mindset, giving God the praise that He so richly deserves.
Psalm 103:1- 2 – “My soul, bless the Lord, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 My soul, bless the Lord, and do not forget all his benefits.”
Again, we don't really know the details that led to the writing of this psalm, but we do know that this Psalm is a powerful description of who God is. If we are to break this psalm down into categories, we would see it is like a hymn with bookends. One bookend is verses one and two and the other book end is verses 20 through 22.
In verses 3-6, it is a discussion about the characteristics of God. And then in verses 7 - 19, we're given a summary of the joys of the forgiveness that God offers us. In some ways, this Psalm's focus on God, creates within us an urgency just to kneel before Him as we read it.
David knew that he had good reason to be grateful and to praise the Lord, but he also knew he needed to choose to turn his heart in God's direction. With all of his being, he wanted to bless the Lord, praising Him and speaking of His goodness.
The focus of this praise is once again God's name or His character. In fact, the repetition of the phrase "bless the Lord" reflects the highest form of praise. You might recall the angels crying out:
Isaiah 6:3 – “And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth.”
Or the creatures singing:
Revelation 4:8 – “Each of the four living creatures had six wings; they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night they never stop, saying,
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come.”
We can almost picture David in worship. And that worship is gripping, intense, intentionally giving thanks and praise. It came from deep within David. You can tell that it fills his soul from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. It's as if David locked eyes on God's goodness and is throwing himself into worship. When was the last time you worshiped like that? I read this and feel almost as if I have slighted God in my worship.
But at the same time David was aware that even he might take for granted all that God had done for him, so it seems like he's pushing himself to avoid letting that happen. He never wanted his commitment to be superficial or his worship to be just a religious activity. Does that remind you of any church services you have attended? Maybe when David wrote this, he had the warning that was written in:
Deuteronomy 8:14 – “be careful that your heart doesn’t become proud and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.”
Psalm 103: 3 – 5 – “He forgives all your iniquity; he heals all your diseases. 4 He redeems your life from the Pit; he crowns you with faithful love and compassion.
5 He satisfies you with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle.”
My dad always worked hard to provide for his family. I am so grateful that we had a roof over our head, food on our table, and clothes on our backs. So, in these verses, David focuses on the provisions that God offers us.
And as we think about it, we should focus our worship on how God provides for us. Even though my dad worked hard for the things we had, God is still the source of the good things that were made possible for our family. But God goes beyond that.
He forgives us. He heals us. He redeems us. He grants us victory over death. He loves us with a steadfast love. He satisfies our soul, and He renews our strength. When we worship God with all our hearts, we should think about these things and remember that God makes it all possible through our relationship with Him.
And all of these things that God provides comes from His love for us. It's as if David wanted to make sure he didn't forget all of God's benefits so he lists those benefits.
-He forgives all our sins. And that is such a huge benefit. God takes away all our sins. This is such a great benefit that David will address it again later in this psalm.
-He heals all our diseases. These diseases may be physical sicknesses, but the word may also be a metaphor for general adversity or troubles. God heals it all.
-He redeems us from the pit. He paid the ransom for us through Jesus's death, so that we might escape the ultimate death. So even though this is a phrase in the OT, it is referring to the resurrection. God rescues us when we can't rescue ourselves.
-He crowns us with faithful love and compassion. His steadfast love and abundant compassion are given to us freely. And yes, even when we are in the pit of life, God reaches us and gives us honor as His people.
-He satisfies us with good things. God fills our lives with His presence and His provision. One of those provisions is peace in Him.
-He renews our youth like an eagle. It's God who can revitalize us and allow us to soar with untiring strength as He rejuvenates us with a youthful spirit.
In all of this, God gives us exactly what we need. In reality, our lives are really fragile and fleeting. We will not live here forever. But because of God's compassion toward us and His enduring love, we realize that death is not the end as God offers us the gift of eternal life.
Psalm 103: 8-10 – “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love. 9 He will not always accuse us or be angry forever. 10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities.”
I am thankful that David included this in his praise worship. Many times mercy has been defined as when God doesn't give us what we deserve. I'm so glad of that. If God gave us what we deserved we would be in a heap of trouble. These verses remind us that God is slow to anger and He doesn't hold it against us.
So David continues his list of God's benefits. God extends to us compassion and grace. He is slow to anger and abounding and faithful love. He won't always accuse us or be angry forever. He has not dealt with us as we deserve.
No matter how hard we try not to, we commit sin and inequity. Because of that, we deserve death and judgment. It was Paul that wrote that “we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God and the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Have you ever wondered why God offers us these benefits? Because that's who He is. God is good to us because of who He is, not because of who we are. Since the wages of sin is death, we all deserve to die because of our sin. I have said it before, sin equals death. But God welcomes us into His presence as we call on His name.
Let me say it another way that we might better understand. The God of the Bible who spoke creation into existence is also our judge, and He has the right to enforce a righteous verdict on us. But through Christ, God offers us something quite different. He knows what we deserve because of our rebellion, but He has chosen to graciously forgive us and mercifully not repay us for our sin. So, David continues in his worship by saying:
Psalm 103: 11-13 – “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward 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.”
As the compassionate Father He is, God loves us, cares for us, and pursues us in our sin, the same as when He sought Adam and Eve after they attempted to hide in their rebellion. All of this is because God wants us in a relationship with Him.
A couple of weeks ago when we talked about God's name, I mentioned how we should approach God with reverent fear. Three times in this Psalm, v. 11, 13, 17, David stresses that we are to come to God in the fear of the Lord. This reverent fear is not only an awe over who God is, but it's also a confession that only God can offer forgiveness and eternal life. The One who created us is the only One who can redeem us.
Let's hear it again. We are to have a reverent fear of God while also recognizing that He is our compassionate Father. What does He do for us? He gives us life. He provides for us. He watches over us. He loves us. He grows us, conforming us to the image of His Son. God gives us eternal life so that we can be with Him forever. It's this Father who gave me the strength and the hope in my early years as a believer.
We can never fully understand the love and forgiving nature that God has for us. His love for us is far beyond our capacity to understand, reaching as high as the heavens are above the earth. That's what David was expressing in these verses. So God's love is immeasurable. His forgiveness separates our sin from us as far as the east is from the west. Now our sin is no longer a barrier between us because He's done all that's necessary to restore our broken relationship.
And all of this is part of the wonder of these verses. His love is beyond our comprehension. His forgiveness exceeds our understanding. Yet He reaches out to us as a compassionate Father who chases us down in our sin. He demands our respect, but His demands are grounded in mercy.
As we come to God in worship, we know deep down that God knows our every move. He knows our every sin. And if He gave us what we deserve, we would be in big trouble. But as we come to God in worship, that is when we realize how forgiving and compassionate He is. He who knows our frailties and weaknesses pursues us because of His undying love. If you have never asked Jesus to take over your life and your ways, and if you have never asked God to forgive you of something that is weighing heavy on your heart, then you really don’t know how it feels to have that burden lifted from your shoulders. Because that’s what God does.
I like the way CS Lewis wrote when he said, “God loves us not because we're lovable, because he is love. Not because he needs to receive, because he delights to give.” That is my god.
Psalm 103:17-19 – “But from eternity to eternity the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear him, and his righteousness toward the grandchildren 18 of those who keep his covenant, who remember to observe his precepts. 19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.”
Sometimes the best we can do is just to contemplate God's goodness to us rather than try to understand it. And that should be the element of our worship. We think about God's goodness, sense the wonder of it all, fall before Him, and honor Him. It's hard for us to just wrap our minds around the eternal God who rules over all.
God has no beginning or end, and that fact is itself beyond us. That's why God said I am who I am. In the opening words of Genesis 1, we read “in the beginning God. You see, God was already there when the beginning started. And God's faithful love is from eternity to eternity because He is both love and He is eternal. His steadfast love is without end because that's who God is.
God, from the beginning, put in place His plan to redeem His children, and He promises us everlasting life. God knows all of our failures yet He still loves us into eternity. And it is in Him that our short lives gain significance.
And so in David's worship moment, he stresses that God's love extends not only to his children but also to their children and grandchildren. God offers grace to all generations who choose to follow His teachings. And our obedience to God is a simple act of love. We should be like those who were the original recipients of this Psalm and have great joy in being assured that God's grace crosses the generations.
We have recently gone through the Easter season. As we're celebrating the coming of Christ, we should also be filled with wonder that the Kng of the Jews has called us to Himself. He rules over all, and that includes Him reigning within us through His Spirit. I am so grateful that God loves us this much.
I close with this: Maybe you've seen a small child extend her arms widely to show just how much she loves somebody, leaving the impression that she would extend her arms even more if it was physically possible. But no physical motion fully illustrates how much God loves us.
His love for us has no beginning or end. It stretches from person to person, generation to generation, and culture to culture. He's also promised us that He will never leave us or abandon us, and it is through God's great love that He keeps His promises to a people who sometimes struggle to keep their promises to Him. From His heart, He loves us all.
I hope that through this Psalm and through this message you realize how much God loves you. And I'll say it again, He desires nothing more than to have a relationship with you.
Do you know him? Have you asked Jesus to be your Savior? Jesus reminded us that He is the only way to our heavenly Father. If you have never done so, I encourage you to open your heart and receive Him today.
WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!!!
