Psalm 103 - How To Have A Good Day Series

PSALM 103 - HOW TO HAVE A GOOD DAY

Video – Wrong Side of the Bed. If you have read the children’s book Wrong Side of the Bed, you will know that Lucy has a feathers everywhere, no toothbrush, smelly bubbles, eat your broccoli, late for ballet, miss the bus, sticky stain, mismatched socks, very prickly, one bunny slipper sort of day. Have you ever had one of those days where, like Lucy, it just seems like you got up on the wrong side of the bed? OK, so maybe you did not have a porcupine that wanted to snuggle or an octopus that stole all your matching socks, but it just seemed like nothing went right for you. It just seemed like a black cloud followed you around all day?

Today we are continuing in our series looking at the Psalms. What I want to talk about this morning is How to Have a Good Day. Is it possible to rise above whatever circumstances the world may throw at us and still have a good day? To make the decision to stay positive even when everything around you seem negative? Psalm 103 shows us how to do this.

Psalms 103:1-22 Of David. 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 As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes 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.

Do you want to rise above the circumstances and still have a good one? The first few verses of this psalm tell us there are three simple steps to guarantee you have a good day:

1. Start your day with Wonder - (v. 1)

David starts by reminding himself of what is important. He says, “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.” He’s telling himself what to do. He says to himself ‘Praise the Lord.” Not just a shallow or superficial praise, but worship that flows out of the very depth of who he is. He says Praise the Lord, O my soul. What is your soul? Your soul means your inmost being. It is the core of who you are as a person. When you make the decision to start your day with wonder, you are saying that you are putting God first. You are making Him priority. You are reminding yourself of what is important. Start your day off right by focusing your attention on God first.

Why is this important? Because the mind can really only focus on one thing at a time. If you are focusing your mind and heart on God then you will not be focusing it on yourself and your problems. When you start your day off focusing of God, it puts all your other cares and concerns into perspective. It makes them secondary issues. It removes the pain in your stomach, the hate in your heart, or anything else that might trouble you and keep you from having a good day.