Read the Book: July - SeptemberSample

Week 37

Psalm 103

A Call to Worship

Forgiveness, healing, redemption, steadfast love, and mercy, satisfaction… it is so easy in life to lose perspective and think that any of these things come from anywhere but God. We look to our job, we look to entertainment, we look to our loved ones, we look to drugs, we look to all kinds of things, and our souls are not filled. What is that empty yearning that keeps us up into the late hours? Our culture has turned to the ocean of self-help resources, but David turned to God.

David says in Psalm 103 that all these things come from the Lord, and his opinion shouldn’t be taken lightly. David had been a shepherd in the field, a king on the throne, a hero, a murderer, a poet, and a warrior. I would dare say that the life of David would render most renaissance men of our day little more than naive actors. Even with all his life experience, he tells his soul to “bless the Lord.” He says, “The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone… But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with [them]” (Psalm 103:15-17). 

Our hearts search around in the darkness for something that can give our life meaning and worth “from everlasting to everlasting.” If your heart feels that it is lacking, take the advice of a man much wiser than I—“Bless the Lord!” In other words, worship! Psalm 103 is a vulnerable and heartfelt self-reminder to worship. David reminds himself to worship. Whenever we put God in his rightful place in worship, we find our rightful place as well. We find something everlasting and worthwhile: forgiveness, healing, redemption, steadfast love, mercy, and satisfaction.

Family Connection: What does forever mean? Can you think of anything that will last forever? Read Psalm 103:15-17. God’s steadfast love will last forever! The world will end. The flowers will fade, the stars will burn out, and even we will pass away, but God’s love for you will never end! Write a note to yourself in 5 years. It will be fun to see how much you have changed and we can remember that God’s love for us will never change.