Psalm 103 — Comforting Forgiveness
A Psalm of David.
1 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 forgiveth all thine iniquities;
Who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies:
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle.
6 The LORD executeth righteous acts,
And judgements for all that are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways unto Moses,
His doings unto the children of Israel.
8 The LORD is full of compassion and gracious,
Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide;
Neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins,
Nor rewarded us after our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth,
So great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children,
So the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
14 For he knoweth our frame;
He remembereth that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are as grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone;
And the place thereof shall know it no more.
17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him,
And his righteousness unto children's children;
18 To such as keep his covenant,
And to those that remember his precepts to do them.
19 The LORD hath established his throne in the heavens;
And his kingdom ruleth over all.
20 Bless the LORD, ye angels of his:
Ye mighty in strength, that fulfill his word,
Hearkening unto the voice of his word.
21 Bless the LORD, all ye his hosts;
Ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
22 Bless the LORD, all ye his works,
In all places of his dominion:
Bless the LORD, O my soul.
It's sometimes hard to pick a favorite passage from the multitude of comforting or interesting scriptures in the Bible. Yet, this one often comes to my mind. I've decided, of late, that whatever keeps appearing in your mind must be important to you. Psalm 103 regularly tries to say, "Here am I; read me."
The comfort and wisdom in this psalm enters our hearts by its simple words and ideas: bless God, because God forgives. This may be a common idea in scriptures that is easily forgotten and taken for granted. Sit still and think about it - let his psalm help you.
God forgives, heals & redeems: does not the Exodus from Egyptian bondage reveal this truth? God satisfies our hearts: does not the wilderness wandering show the goodness of God's provision? God's compassion is so great our cosmos cannot contain it all. Our sins are so far removed, East & West fail to finish the breadth of separation.
God pities his children and we who fear are in his loving care. Pity is no embarrassment; it is not to our shame that we are pitied - do not let your pride override the goodness of God's pity. Let the comfort & love of God enter through the words of this psalm and believe.
This becomes an important lesson from this psalm. We need to let ourselves trust in the Lord. If his throne is indeed established in the heavens, then surely he knows my needs and my sorrows better than I know them myself. If he is willing to show me compassion and forgive, then surely I can forgive myself and those around me. Let us let God be our God and be blessed by him. Let us bless God today.