Psalm 103 gives us a clear view of the heart and mind of God and why this Psalm will lift your spirits.
Bless His Name
Psalm 103 gives us a clear view of the heart and mind of God and why this Psalm will lift your spirits. Knowing that He has redeemed us through Christ, we ought to proclaim, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefit” (Psalm 103:2). One huge benefit of course is the Lord “forgives all your iniquity” (Psalm 103:3a) and “redeems your life from the pit” (Psalm 103:4a). Oh how good He is to the children of God Who “satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:5). We ought to be the most joyful people on the planet, having been rescued from God’s wrath, having a place reserved for us in heaven, and giving us present help in times of need (like strength when we’re weak).
He is Merciful
God shows us His heart by the sheer mercy and grace He pours out upon us. Remember He died for us before we even existed, and saved us even while we were ungodly, wicked enemies of Him (Rom 5:6-10). Do we really need any more proof of His great mercy? We have proof from the Scriptures that “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8). It is a steadfast love, not a love that is vulnerable to being lost. Knowing how great a sinner we are, we ought to have joy that our merciful God “does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10). Aren’t we glad for that! He does not give us what we really deserve (His wrath) but what we really need (His grace and mercy).
A Forgiving God
We humans just can’t measure the love of God nor can we fathom His attributes because “as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him” (Psalm 103:11). And what does God do with our sins once they’re placed on Jesus Christ? The answer is a great and precious promise where God says “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). North and south meet (at the equator), but east and west never do…they go on into infinity, meaning He no longer holds are sins against us because they are removed forever, as far as the east goes from the west.
As a Tender Father
We know that God understands our frame because He created us. He wrote the manual on us as our Creator. He knows we’re fragile compared to Him, therefore, He tenderly states to His own children that as “a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13). The Father has compassion on us because “he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14). God knows our every strength and every weakness and reacts to this knowledge by the way He cares for us. He recognizes our limitation (1 Cor 10:13).
Everlasting Love
When the world talks about love, it cannot compare with the love of God. Humans can fall in love and fall out of love, and even begin to hate someone after a while, but “the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:17). God’s mood doesn’t change. He doesn’t wake up in a bad mood one moment and in a good mood the next. The truth is, never sleeps (Psalm 121:4). And, thankfully, and unlike people, God doesn’t change His mind about us or wash His hands of us. This love is “from everlasting to everlasting,” or without end. We can’t do anything more to make Him love us more nor can we do anything less or wrong that can make Him love us less. We may displease Him, yes, but His love for us is not dependent upon our behavior…thankfully!
Bless His Name
The Psalmist started out blessing God’s name and included the command for all the saints to bless His holy name, and that’s where he wraps up Psalm 103 at the end, once again proclaiming blessings on His name, but this time, it’s given to all the angels and heavenly hosts. The Psalmist writes: “Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word” (Psalm 103:20)! They, like we, are commanded to “Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will” (Psalm 103:21)! And just to show the importance and emphasis on blessing His holy name and that we get the point, he writes for the third time; “Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul” (Psalm 103:22)!
Conclusion
My prayer you who are reading this is that you have already put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that has not happened yet, right now you are in real danger of hell fire. Like all unsaved people, they are on the cliff of hell, all one breath away, one heartbeat away…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. This is the very reason right now is the time to believe (2 Cor 6:2), especially considering the fact that tomorrow is not guaranteed to us. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Rev 20:12-15). This is why I pleading with you right now as you read this to repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ. If not, you will face God’s judgment after death (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), whatever comes first, and He could come at any moment.
Here is some related reading for you: Why Does God Love Us? Do We Really Deserve It?
Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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