A Song of Praise (Psalm 103)
A guest post by Chad Ramsey.
It is easy to spend so much time thinking about difficulties that one forgets to consider his or her blessings. Because pain, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, demands immediate attention, our thoughts are often focused almost entirely upon our problems.
One particularly terrifying result of such misplaced focus is the lack of thankfulness that results.
Rather than remembering and thanking God for the blessings of life, the individual who considers only his or her troubles rarely contemplates the good things God has provided.
Not Thanking God Leads to Forgetting Him.
A lack of thankfulness is characteristic of those who push the knowledge of God from their minds.
Paul made this point in his letter to the Romans when rebuking individuals for rejecting the evidence concerning God’s existence. Describing them, he wrote:
“… although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21).
It seems almost incomprehensible that individuals who knew God could eventually reject Him. But Paul’s explanation describes the path leading to such a conclusion.
When individuals fail to glorify or praise God, and when individuals fail to express thanksgiving for what God has done, they will likely forget God altogether.
Instead of making these mistakes, we would do well to remember God is the source of all of our blessings. So James wrote:
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
Remember the Blessings of God.
If Psalm 103 does anything, it reminds us of the blessings God has given to His children. Focusing upon these blessings, the psalmist penned:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (103:2-5).
Importantly, this beautiful text is doing more than providing a reminder of what God has done. It is also calling to the one who remembers to action.
Explaining, Allen P. Ross observed:
“As in many other passages, the verbs ‘to remember,’ and ‘to forget’ mean more than mental activities; they have to do with actions. So here ‘forgetting’ is not a slip of the memory, but a deliberate act of ignoring God’s goodness and disobeying his will…. The psalmist’s message here is: Do not forget them (almost, stop forgetting them)—that is, start acting on them” (A Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 3, 232-233).
Those who act upon the blessings of God will live differently.
The life conducted in view of the benefits received from the Lord will be marked by the extension of these benefits to others.
We will seek to comfort others because we have been comforted (2 Corinthians 1:3-4); we will seek to forgive others because we have been forgiven (Matthew 6:12, 14-15).
Above all, we will praise the God who is worthy. This is precisely what Psalm 103 is designed to do. Therefore, it begins: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” (Psalm 103:1).
Praise God for all that He has done and all that He continues to do. To God be the glory!
Chad Ramsey preaches for the Gloster Street Church of Christ in Tupelo, Mississippi. You can access their Bible classes and Chad’s sermons on Gloster Street’s YouTube page.
Chad was - and still is - “my preacher” from when I spent my high school and early college years at Gloster Street. I’m thankful to be able to share some of his writings with you.
