Psalm 103
When my youngest daughter was 4, our family spent a weekend in Atlanta learning about homelessness. We stayed overnight in a local church with a robust mission to the unhoused. We learned how many people live without homes, the dangers they face, and the ways the church was trying to serve. Coming from the suburb where we lived, it was the first time my daughters witnessed lives surrounded by such hazards and uncertainty.
A few weeks later, I sat with my youngest for her bedtime prayers. She prayed for her family, friends and pets, and then said, “God, please bless the homeless with really good things — like Sprite and ribs!”
Sprite and ribs. As a true Southerner, this was her favorite meal. And because she knew how blessed she was to have it, she wanted the homeless to experience that blessing too. Knowing our own blessedness should make us want to reach out.
John Calvin said that what we know about God and what we know about ourselves is mutually connected. In knowing of God’s goodness, we see how our supposed goodness falls far short. In knowing about our sinfulness, we know more about the character of the God who offers us forgiveness and grace. In fact, Calvin writes in Institutes of Christian Religion, “[people] are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.”
Psalm 103 is about the majesty of God. It teaches us about God — and thus, ourselves. The only right response to this knowledge is to worship God. In learning about our blessings, we learn to bless God.
In Psalm 103, David writes of God’s goodness, love and mercy and calls each of the faithful to bless the Lord, to not forget what God has done. Verses 3-5 give us a list of verbs that describe who God is by telling us what God has done: forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, satisfies, renews. In verses 8-12, David describes God as merciful, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. God does not deal with us according to our sins.
Like a father, God has compassion for us. He remembers that we are dust (vv.13-14). What has all this knowledge of God shown us? That we are transient, that we may flourish for a time, but we, too, will pass away while God and God’s goodness remain (vv. 15-16). We are called to keep God’s covenant and commandments (v. 18).
David ends with the reminder that God rules over all — the angels, the mighty ones and the ministers. God has dominion over all (vv.19-22).
In the face of God’s goodness, power and love, we are called to bless the Lord with all that we have — with our very souls. All that is within us should bless God’s holy name. We are but dust, and yet, we know of God’s immense love and care for all the world. Knowing who God is, we are left knowing who we are — a people called to bless God continually.
Like my daughter, who knew her blessings and wanted them for others, we know who God is, and in so knowing, we should spend our lives blessing God.
Remember, too, that verse 6 reminds us God cares for justice and the oppressed. Knowing about what God cares about should guide us to caring and working for the same.
Discussion questions for Psalm 103
- What are your greatest blessing in life? Do your blessings tell you anything about the character of God?
- What does it mean to bless the Lord? How do we do that corporately and individually?
- Verse 2 tells us to not forget the benefits of God? What do you consider God’s benefits?
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