This Sunday, we are starting a new series on the Book of Psalms. When I was asked about writing this week, my immediate reaction was “yes,” this book just excites me. If you don’t get excited with reading Psalms already, I pray that after this series, you find more reminders of his love and promises within the book of Psalms, that will also excite you.
Today Pastor Adam shared some reminders about the messages that are shared throughout the book of Psalms. In this contemplative book, we find messages of thanksgiving, praise, messianic (relating to the Messiah), of lament and brokenness, and of ascent (sung while walking up the valley to the temple.) Pastor Adam shared that, “The wide variety of psalms is a reminder that wherever we find ourselves in our lives, we can turn to God, we are not alone - wherever our emotions take us - these reveal how little human emotion has changed over 3000 years— worship is always fitting.”
We begin the series of Psalms in Chapter 103, a Psalm of David.
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.
Throughout the week we will focus on different passages in Psalm 103. In this chapter, David goes from singing a song of gratitude, remembering God’s blessings; to singing a song of grace, remembering God’s character; and then to a song of glory, remembering God’s greatness.
Let us start looking at the scriptures of God’s Gratitude in verses 2 and 3. We begin the chapter with praises to our God. We are reminded of how good our God is and how faithful he is to us. He is Holy; his name is holy, and he has blessed us.
As we continue reading the chapter, David then focuses on God’s Grace. His grace is a reminder of His character. ‘The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love (Ps. 103:8).’ I like verse 9 and 10 because David tells us what our God will not do. He will not always accuse, nor harbor anger forever, He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. Then David shares in verses 11 and 12, what our God will do. His love is great for us; it is immeasurable. Verse 13 reminds us of his compassion for his children and those who fear him. I believe that verses 17 and 18 are very important.
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.
As Pastor Adam shared, this is God’s promise to his people, and we put our faith in God’s promise.
As the chapter closes, David concludes the Psalm with focusing on God’s Glory. His glory is a reminder of His Greatness. His greatness and grace lives on. In verse 19 we are reminded that the “Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.” This is David’s grand finale of his personal pep talk that he gave himself in this Psalm. The chapter ends in praises, just as it started. Verse 20 through 22 all start with “Praise the Lord,” and the final verse ends “Praise the Lord, my soul.”
As we conclude Psalm 103, let us remember His Gratitude, Grace, and Glory.
Let us spend the week, redirecting our thoughts to God’s perspective.
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Monday: Praise the Lord
Remind yourself that today is a new day. It’s another Monday, of another week, in a new month. Summertime is here. Do you have something new in your life this season? Do you have kids moving to new schools or graduating? Do you have children getting married during the summer or leaving home? Or are you having to say goodbye to loved ones near you? It’s a new season for many of us, and when new seasons come, we need to start just like Psalm chapter 103 started, with gratitude and praises. How can we start the week singing his praises? Just like the song says, we need to “Praise him in the morning, praising him in the noon-time, praise him when the sun goes down.”
Reflection/ Action:
Read Psalm 103: 1-2. 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—
Mondays can be a difficult day when starting off your week. Sing his praises throughout the day. Be intentional. If you can, take time during your day to be intentional about reciting these 2 verses to yourself today. At the very least remember to recite, “Praise the Lord, my soul,” a few times during the day. At the end of the day, think about how you’re praising Him affected your day. Do you feel that it was it easier to get through your day? As you continue to praise him, think of 3 things that you are grateful for today, and thank the Lord for these blessings.
Tuesday – Why we Praise Him. Our God is an Awesome God.
Fun fact about me is that I love music, all types of music. When I think of praise, I automatically think of music. My heart sings in a melodic tone. When I am happy, I want to sing, when I’m sad or fearful, I want to sing to lift my spirits. I remember when I was a teenager, I was having very bad nightmares, which I would consider now, almost night terrors. I would wake up in bed in the middle of the night, in a dark room, and sing hymns and praise songs. I remember being so scared and singing to my Lord would calm me and allow me to go back to sleep.
Reflection/ Action:
Read Psalm 103: 3-5. 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.
Take time today to praise our Father. Pray about the sins he has forgiven you for; pray how he has healed you. Pray over any deliverance, for his loyal love and mercy, and for satisfaction and renewal that he has granted you in your life.
Here is one of my favorite praise songs; what I would consider an oldy but goody. As you listen, think of reasons why you praise him.
Wednesday – I want to be like Him, and love like Him.
Living our human life is hard. We have all different emotions swirling around us. Our role is to love unconditionally, amidst of change and conflict. As broken people, we must take a good look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we are behaving in His image.
On Sunday, Adam shared the Hebrew word, hesed. Hesed is a covenant relationship born of the kindness of God. Another simple meaning is lovingkindness.
Reflection/ Action:
Read Psalm 103: 9-12. 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.
Pray about the characteristics of our Father. How can we be more like him? He does not accuse, does not harbor anger, he loves us unconditionally with an unending love. Are you treating others with lovingkindness? If you struggle with these characteristics, pray to God, and ask him to help you. While praying today, take time and thank our Father for his love that stretches out to the heavens and thank Him for his forgiveness.
Thursday - He knows who I am and Keeps His promises
As kids grow up, they struggle to figure out who they really are. I can honestly say, that as an adult, I’m still trying to figure it out sometimes. I am glad to be ever evolving, but regardless of what changes in the future, I know where I came from. My past does not change. Our struggles, overcoming our obstacles, and our past successes and failures, all make us who we are today. The next passage we are focusing on in Psalm 103 allows us to focus on God knowing who we are.
Reflection/ Action:
Read Psalm 103: 13-18. 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.
Take some time today to think about who God is to you. Imagine Jesus walking next to you and just talking to him. Do you see Jesus as your friend, your best friend, or your brother? Is he compassionate to you?
Remember that God is omniscient, he is all-knowing. Spend time in prayer today. Pray to your Father as his child. He is keeping promises to His children; are you obeying?
Friday – His Kingdom Rules over all
It is Friday and week is almost over. We have survived another work week, and have also spent many days praising God, remembering his promises, and focusing on his attributes. Now we are near the end of our study on Psalm 103; we are reminded that his dominion is complete.
I recently read a book that brought up an interesting view on the word “all” in the Bible. I had never really thought about it in detail. The author explained the word “all” in the Bible that it didn’t mean some people, obey ‘some commands’, only love ‘some people,’ or just love the people you like. All means all, period (in most biblical contexts). We are told to love all, and in Psalm 103 we know that he rules over “all.” This includes all of us and all of the universe both in the heavens and the earth.
Reflection/ Action:
Read Psalm 103:19 – The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Gill’s explained God’s dominion in the scripture as follows,
“And his kingdom ruleth over all; over all created beings; over angels, good and bad; over men, righteous and wicked; over the greatest of men, the kings and princes of the earth. Good angels are subject to him devils tremble at him; saints acknowledge him as their King; the wicked he rules with a rod of iron; and kings reign by him, and are accountable to him;”
Pray to our Father today and thank him as our Father, creator, and ruler. Thank him for His kingdom and that He reigns over that Kingdom.
Saturday – His Gratitude, Grace, and Glory
Reading and praying on Chapter 103 this week has been personally heart-warming for me. We have focused our hearts and minds on His Gratitude, Grace, and Glory. We have been praising Him and recalling the continuous reminders of his promises, while focusing on God’s character and greatness.
Reflection/ Action:
Read Psalm 103: 20-22. 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.
Praise the Lord today. Spend time in Prayer, repeating verses 20-22. Here is another old worship song that you may like to spend some time in worship with. I pray you had a blessed week, and we look forward to another Psalm next week.