Why Should We Close 2024 Praising God?

We will soon leave the year of 2024. Some people see 2024 as a difficult or even bad year because they experienced so many problems this year, whether in finance, relationships, or health. They may even lose something precious or someone they loved this year. So, they are disappointed with God and cannot givee thanks to Him for this year. Some others see 2024 as just like other years, nothing special happened. For them, life is just as usual. I don’t know how you view the year 2024. But as we leave this year, I want you as children of God, to have the right perspective of your lives in 2024 and therefore, like King David, you praise God and give Him thanks! Let’s read Psalm 103.

If we look at David’s life, we find how sometimes he was at the peak of success like when he defeated Goliath and later was chosen to be King of Israel. But there were times when he was afraid, frustrated, and miserable like when King Saul hunted him and wanted to kill him even though he did nothing wrong. Or when he fell into the serious sins of adultery and murdering an innocent man, sins that caused some terrible consequences in David’s life. Or when he prayed for healing for his son with Bathsheba, but God didn’t grant his request. Or when his son, Amnon raped his half-sister, Tamar. Or when another son, Absalom, tried to kill him (can you imagine how you would feel if your son wanted to kill you?). So, we see how David experienced a lot of hardship and trials in his life and yet he could say, “Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.”

Instead of letting disappointment, failures, frustration, shame, and depression control his life David encouraged and told himself to praise the Lord. There are times in our lives when we feel miserable and terrible. In that situation, we need to learn from David to tell ourselves: “Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.” Otherwise, we will let those negative feelings put us down and make us depressed. In this situation, we will become an easy target for the enemy to defeat us. Lately, we’ve heard more and more how people who faced financial or relationship problems fell into the devil’s traps and shot their family members, coworkers, or friends. Congregation, when we allow bad things to control our minds, when we meditate on negative thoughts or feelings, instead of the Lord’s goodness, we also can fall into the devil’s traps. Therefore, no matter how this year has been for us, let’s say to our soul: “Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name!”

The second thing that David told himself in verse 2 is “Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits (or “His goodness”).” When we face hardship and tribulation it is so easy for us to forget God’s goodness. We then conclude that God is not fair or is not good. It is like the Indonesian proverb says, “A drop of ink ruins the whole milk in the jar.” So don’t let the ink of failure or the ink of an unanswered prayer or the ink of disappointment ruin your whole life. Remember what the Lord has done for you. Forget not all His benefits (plural means many benefits). So, never forget what God has done for you in the past so that you can be strong in facing challenges at present and hope for the future.

From verse 3 to 18 David lists the good things or benefits that God has given to him. We also have received them, even more, because of what Jesus Christ has done for us.

For example, in verse 3, he said: “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” Haven’t our sins been forgiven? What a blessing and joy to know that God has forgiven our sins. Also, the fact that we can be here tonight means that we are still alive and strong enough because God heals and protects us. Did you know that last year, according to the National Vital Statistics System, 3,090,582 in America died? 40,990 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes.

In verse 4, he said: “who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.” David did not say, “Who frees me from all troubles and difficulties in my life.” Why? Because as long as we live in this world, even though we have been adopted as children of God, we can still experience illness, and financial difficulties, be treated unfairly by our superiors, be slandered, become victims of crime, earthquakes, and so on. So being a Christian does not free us from all the difficulties in the world. However, when we experience all of that, the LORD has actually helped us. Unexpectedly, He intervened in His miraculous way, like He has healed Grace, my daughter-in-law, from severe epilepsy due to an accident that damaged part of her brain.