Psalms 103: Praise for the LORD's Mercies A Psalm of David.
Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities [things you are guilty for], 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.
The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and He abounds in mercy.
He will not always strive [argue, fight] with us, Nor will He hold on to His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more.
But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him...
Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities [things you are guilty for], 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.
The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and He abounds in mercy.
He will not always strive [argue, fight] with us, Nor will He hold on to His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more.
But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him...
Natural and Supernatural--that's the way we experience God. He made the world, and he uses the world as His tool to bless us and help us, but that's not all. He responds to our needs in ways that transcend nature as well. The Psalmist says he will remember what God has done, and then discusses the "mix" of the ways God touches us all. In the first place, He forgives sin. Ever get weighed down with guilt over your past or your present? Ever been terribly afraid to face up to God? He is the One who forgives ALL your sins, and separates them from you, as far as the east is from the west. Have you ever been so sick that nothing seemed to help, and it looked like you might die? And then you cried out to Him, and found that when nobody else can help you, GOD can? I remember a missionary diagnosed with a virulent form of hepatitis, picked up on the mission field. He came to the little church I attended barely able to sit in the seat he was given. The elders of the church gathered around him, anointed him with oil (just a bit, on the forehead), and asked God to heal him, because the doctors could not. That missionary told us later that from that day on, he began to get well. Nothing dramatic--he just got well.
God is the One who loves to give you good things, blessings, to renew your life and make it over. Perhaps your life is full of ugliness and evil, and you are sick of everything. HE will help. When nobody else has a clue, God knows all about you and your needs, and He reaches down from the heights of heaven and touches you. This is all true because He's your heavenly Father, who cares for you just as a good earthly father cares for his own children. It's tragic today that many grow up without fathers, or without good ones, but when you haven't got a father, God will be your best Father. You can call on Him, talk to Him, listen to Him, praise Him, and act just like He is here in the room with you--because He is. Never despair of your life. God has it in His hand. And if you are facing death, that worst of enemies, He holds the keys of death and hell, and will open the door of eternal life for you. All you need to do is ask.
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