Psalm 103 - Dwelling in thankfulness

 Bless the Lord, O My Soul

Of David.

Psalm 103 

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
² Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
³ who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
⁵ who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

⁶ The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
⁷ He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.
¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
¹⁷ But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,
¹⁸ to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!
²¹ Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!
²² Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!

 

So often in life, it’s easy to find reasons to complain. We don’t like our hair, or the weather, or our clothes aren’t trendy enough. Maybe the kids are being extra rowdy, or your boss is being difficult, the list of things we complain about is a long one. Dwelling on all these complaints is not helpful and really weighs down our spirits. Proverbs 17:22 tells us that “a joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” It’s not healthy to dwell in negativity. Change your focus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says that we ought to “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” God wants us to focus on giving thanks. Try sitting down and making a list of reasons to praise God and be thankful. David does this in Psalm 103. He praises God and reminds us not to forget all the things we have from Him. In Psalm 103:3-5, David says, “who forgives all your sins, heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” But he doesn’t stop there; he continues to tell us the things we ought to be thankful for, including the amazing attributes of our God.

Psalm 150:6 tells us, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!” 1 Peter 2:9 tells us this is the reason we were created when it says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” If we continue to the end of Psalm 103, we can also see this command to praise the LORD. All things, everywhere, are to praise the LORD. David tells us that even the angels and the heavenly hosts praise God.

James 1:17 tells us that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” If we turn to Ephesians 2 we can read how we were all once “dead in our trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5). When you realize that all the good gifts we have been given are not only from God alone, but are undeserved, how can you not be thankful? God’s goodness in our lives can be seen everywhere; we simply need to open our eyes to see it. No matter what you’re going through in life, there are always blessings we can count and be thankful for. Philippians 4:4-6, 8 tells us,

“Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God… Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

When life is hard, and things seem dismal, when it feels as if there’s nothing good in your life, look to Psalm 103. Allow David’s words to remind you why there are always reasons to praise God and be thankful. Because there are always reasons to rejoice in the LORD, and these are the things we ought to think about. Don’t let negativity dry up your bones. Instead, when all you want to do is complain, or all you see is the bad things, remember the goodness of God. When you find yourself complaining, redirect your focus and list the things you have to be thankful for. As Colossians 3:2 tells us, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Remember the goodness of God; it never fails.