Psalm 103 (NIV)
1 Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, 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 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish 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, my soul.
Reflection:
If God’s people were to have a theme song, Psalm 103 would be one of the top choices. This passage describes the foundational truth of God’s vast forgiveness and love for us- for as far as the east is from the west all our transgressions have been removed! What a powerful reminder of God’s mercy; but in the midst of life troubles we somehow tend to focus on our problems rather than upon the bigger picture of who God is and His incredible mercy in our lives. As we travel down life’s path, we can be reminded of an old saying: “Keep your eye upon the doughnut, not upon the hole!” Yes, rather than being mired in life difficulties, we are to fix our attention once again upon the greatness of God and His numerous blessings: He forgives us, heals us, redeems us, crowns us with love and compassion, satisfies our desires, and renews us. Take it from the Psalmist here, God is truly worthy of all our praise and let our praise to Him become our theme song throughout life!
Responding to the Transmission:
Let’s reflect once again on how God has saved us and has shown His great love to us. Then spend some time lifting up a song of praise along with prayers of thanksgiving. God is truly worthy of all our praise!
