Psalm 103 speaks about the extent of God's love and compassion for His people. David begins and ends the psalm with the words: "Praise the LORD, O my soul." I would like to offer a few thoughts on the worship and meditation that David advocates in the psalm:
1. Worship involves considering the totality and awesomeness of God Himself. David's words speak of a deeply rooted conviction in the goodness of all aspects of God's character. God had certainly revealed Himself to David, through both the high and low points of life, but David was also a willing student. He sought after God "earnestly" (Psalm 63:1):
"O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water."
This type of longing and hungering for God does receive a fulfillment. In that same Psalm 63, David trusts that "my soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods... [and] my soul clings to you;/ your right hand upholds me." (vv. 4,8).
In Psalm 103, we see David reflecting not just on his "benefits," but also His character. The language in the psalm confirms that God is beyond full comprehension. Echoing these sentiments, Paul offers in Romans 11:33: "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!"
2. Committing our whole life to the Lord means that He "satisfies your desires with good things." When David speaks of "desires" here and in Psalm 37:4, he is not guaranteeing that we will receive everything that we want, but rather that, when our hearts are fully aligned with His will, His desires will become our desires. As a faithful Father, God will provide everything that we need, and those who delight in Him, who seek their full satisfaction in Him, will find that their needs become their desires. In other words, this type of Christ-follower will find that what they desire for themselves will become that which God desires for them to have. As we read in 1 John 5:14, God is eager to fulfill His promises to those who earnestly seek His desires for us: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."
3. God's compassion stretches across all space and all time. David writes about how the Lord is "compassionate and gracious,/ slow to anger, abounding in love." (v. 8) He then offers several images of the magnitude of God's grace: "... He does not treat us as our sins deserve/ or repay us according to our iniquities." (v. 10) We are deserving of His wrath because we have fallen short of His mark. Yet,
"For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed his transgressions from us." (vv. 11,12)
4. Recognition of how much God has forgiven us should lead us to praise and obedience. We may begin to take for granted the magnitude of God's grace, but we should not. Remembering what we deserve and reflecting on what might have been should impress us with gratitude. That gratitude wells up into obedience. When God's grace is active in our lives, we find ourselves dying to ourselves daily. The Holy Spirit guides us in this process.
5. We should praise God for His sovereignty over both heaven and earth (v. 19). When the circumstances around us appear to circle out of control, we may find comfort in the reality that God has not changed. His faithfulness, gentleness, and goodness have not become weaker. Our circumstances may cloud God's goodness for a time, but He is worthy of our confidence and praise at all times.
QUESTIONS
1. How can you spend time today searching out the Lord's character and meditating on His goodness?
2. What does God's compassion mean for you today? How could you share this message of hope with a hurting friend, family member, or co-worker?
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