DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER (Psalm 103)

How forgetful we are of the goodness of our God. Psalm 103 is a psalm of remembrance and the praise that should grow out of it.

Verses 1-2: “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.”

Don’t forget to remember. Go back and rehearse, reiterate all of the goodness of God in your life.

Notice how the first two verses contain repeated references to blessing the Lord. Are you a blessing to God? Instead of lamenting about how you didn’t get anything out of a particular sermon or meeting, perhaps you should ask if you put anything into it.

Sometimes we are hesitant to identify good things that happen to us each day. If you are breathing, God has been good to you and shown His mercy to you. But what have you given back to Him today? It seems selfish that we always ask God to bless us and give little or no thought to blessing Him in return.

How and for what do we bless the Lord?

Psalm 103 has a list of God’s benefits that we can review one by one:

“Who forgiveth all thine iniquities“ (verse 3) Most people believe Psalm 103 was written when David was pardoned because of his great sin with Bathsheba. He lied, committed adultery and murder, and lived in hypocrisy. Yet God showed great mercy and forgiveness, which David put first on this list.

“Who healeth all thy diseases” (verse 3) It is good to know that we serve the Healer. Of course, God can and does heal physical diseases, but there is a greater picture here because the greatest disease of all is the leprosy of sin. God, in His grace and mercy, heals the soul and restores the inner man.

“Who redeemeth thy life from destruction” (verse 4) He is our redeemer who has bought us back and paid for us, bringing us back from the point of being destroyed.

“Who crowneth us with lovingkindness and tender mercies” (verse 4). I love the thought conveyed in this single verse that we are seen first as slaves and then as royalty. I am thinking now of the prodigal, redeemed out of that far country and out of poverty to be adorned as a prince. How comforting to know that God crowns us with His mercy every day.

“Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (verse 5). We talked in the previous psalm about the sparrow being so weak and wounded, but here God says, “I am going to make you soar again.” He renews our strength, satisfies us, and provides for us. He meets the deepest needs of our lives.

“The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.” (verse 6) He always does right, and He brings His justice to bear in our lives.

“He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.” (verse 7) Here the psalmist took a look back into history and what God had done for His people.

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” (verse 8) Back to the present and to what the Lord does for us every day.

You can keep reading the rest of the psalm and find more of these reminders. Psalm 103 tells us, in no uncertain terms: Don’t forget to remember.

John Phillips, the great Bible teacher and author, said that whenever you have a hard time praising (which all of us have had from time to time), get down on your knees and recite this psalm. I would challenge you to take this passage and make a template of sorts. You might want to make a “Psalm 103 list” or a “thanks list.” Most of us have prayer lists, but I wonder how many of us have a thanks list.

Psalm 103 is a psalm that will keep you praising and keep you close to God.

As we mentioned earlier, it appears that this was written after David’s great sin. But he did not go back into sin, as we are often prone to do. I believe that his praise not only looked at how he was delivered from his sin but also kept him from going back to it.

Throughout scripture, all types of sin can be connected to a lack of thankfulness. When you develop a lack of gratitude in your heart, it opens you up to every evil. I think that thanksgiving is one of the greatest tools for battling temptation. When you are truly grateful, you only want the Lord and nothing else.

Charles Spurgeon said that Psalm 103 was like a mountain peak that rose above all the rest. Perhaps that is because it lifts us to the heights of praise in thanks to our great God. Now let’s look at the last three verses of Psalm 103.

Verses 20-22: “Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.”

It sounds here like we are supposed to be blessing the Lord. The angels are instructed to do it, as are His ministers. But the last phrase ends the psalm exactly as it began: “Bless the Lord, O my soul.”

Are you a blessing to God today? Take this psalm and get on your knees somewhere so you can recite it, blessing the Lord for each of the things listed that he has done for you.

You will find that, as you begin to bless the Lord, you will in turn be blessed. Make yourself a Psalm 103 list and ask the Lord to help you bless His holy name. Don’t forget to remember.