Love That Never Fails

88. Forget Not All His Benefits

As Christians, it is easy to live our lives without ever realising how blessed we are to know the Lord. Sure there can be a time perhaps at a person's conversion, when they are very happy about the many benefits they have received upon accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. However, it's easy to just get caught up in day to day living without truly remembering all we have or really praising God for who He is to us.

Coming upon the very familiar Psalm 103, provides us with a comprehensive list of the benefits which the psalmist says we should not forget! I love the way he is talking to his own soul at the beginning and I guess this is a good model to follow. He doesn't just want to think about all the benefits God has brought to his life, he wants to go deeper! Perhaps it's time for some deep, soul level meditation as we worship our Lord today. Make this psalm the beginning of your own prayer. Give thanks for all that the Lord has done in your life! Don't rush or leave these verses until you can sense a stirring of true, humble exaltation coming from within:

"Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
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 our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children—
with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul."
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103:1-22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

You might like to read this psalm again in another translation and go deeper still!

"With my whole heart, with my whole life,
and with my innermost being, I bow in wonder and love before you, the holy God!
Yahweh, you are my soul's celebration.
How could I ever forget the miracles of kindness you've done for me?
You kissed my heart with forgiveness, in spite of all I've done.
You've healed me inside and out from every disease.
You've rescued me from hell and saved my life.
You've crowned me with love and mercy.
You satisfy my every desire with good things.
You've supercharged my life so that I soar again like a flying eagle in the sky!
You're a God who makes things right, giving justice to the defenseless.
You unveiled to Moses your plans and showed Israel's sons what you could do.
Lord, you're so kind and tenderhearted to those who don't deserve it
and so patient with people who fail you!
Your love is like a flooding river overflowing its banks with kindness.
You don't look at us only to find our faults,
just so that you can hold a grudge against us.
You may discipline us for our many sins, but never as much as we really deserve.
Nor do you get even with us for what we've done.
Higher than the highest heavens— that's how high your tender mercy extends!
Greater than the grandeur of heaven above is the greatness of your loyal love,
towering over all who fear you and bow down before you!
Farther than from a sunrise to a sunset— that's how far you've removed our guilt from us. The same way a loving father feels toward his children—
that's but a sample of your tender feelings toward us,
your beloved children, who live in awe of you.
You know all about us, inside and out.
You are mindful that we're made from dust.
Our days are so few, and our momentary beauty so swiftly fades away!
Then all of a sudden we're gone, like grass clippings blown away in a gust of wind,
taken away to our appointment with death,
leaving nothing to show that we were here.
But Lord, your endless love stretches from one eternity to the other,
unbroken and unrelenting toward those who fear you
and those who bow facedown in awe before you.
Your faithfulness to keep every gracious promise you've made
passes from parents, to children, to grandchildren, and beyond.
You are faithful to all those who follow your ways and keep your word.
God's heavenly throne is eternal, secure, and strong,
and his sovereignty rules the entire universe.
So bless the Lord, all his messengers of power,
for you are his mighty heroes who listen intently to the voice of his word to do it.
Bless and praise the Lord, you mighty warriors,
ministers who serve him well and fulfill his desires.
I will bless and praise the Lord with my whole heart!
Let all his works throughout the earth,
wherever his dominion stretches,
let everything bless the Lord!"
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103:1-22‬ ‭TPT‬‬

AMEN!