DON’T FORGET
Psalms 103:1-5 NKJV
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
What do you do to not forget important things? Years ago, I heard of people tying a string around their finger to remind them. Seems a bit archaic, but if it works, then you do you. Maybe you have an app on your phone, or a written system, or a digital tablet. Whatever the system, we all realize there are things we have to remember. In our psalm for today, David writes of five things we need to remember. And these five are directly connected to the Lord. In fact, they are part of His benefit package.
David begins, as we should, with blessing the Lord. Oh, my soul, and all that is within me, is David’s expression of gratitude for the Lord. The more I read the psalms, the more I see David’s revelation of the nature of God. He is convinced that God is truly good, and David has no problem expressing his love and appreciation for the Lord.
Bless the Lord, and do not forget His benefits. Whenever we discuss our benefit package with The Ark staff, I notice that they are paying attention. If your company provides benefits, you want to know what they are so that you can utilize them. The benefits are there for you. And so it is with God’s benefits.
Number one: God forgives all our sins. We could stop right there and bless God for the rest of our lives. The fact that our perfect, holy God forgives all our sins so that we don’t have to carry the weight of guilt and shame is such a benefit. Bless the Lord.
Number two: God heals all our diseases. What another major benefit. This is a health plan I want to stay on and take advantage of. I know some believe this benefit passed away, but I politely disagree. I see it in the holy scriptures, and I have seen it in my family, and I have experienced this benefit in my own life. I am so grateful for this benefit and so I bless the Lord.
Number three: God redeems our lives from destruction. I take this to mean the destruction of an eternal hell. Thank God, we don’t have to go. Jesus paid the price to redeem, to buy us back, and destruction is not a part of our future. I can bless the Lord for that.
Number four: God crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies. I can’t say I fully understand this benefit, except that being crowned sounds good. And being crowned with loving kindness and tender mercies from God sounds gooder. I do know that I so depend on God’s kindness and mercy in my life. And His mercies are new every morning, so this all sounds like a wonderful benefit to bless the Lord for.
Number five: God fills my mouth with good things so that my youth is renewed like the eagles. Does this mean God provides food for me that renews my strength? Or that God prompts me with words of life that renew my inner man, my spirit? I’ll take both, thank you. And if I am misusing my benefit, I am sure God, in His loving kindness and tender mercies, will let me know. So, I will keep on blessing the Lord!
PRAYER
Lord, I bless You today and I thank You for Your wonderful benefit package. Show me how to receive all You have provided. I won’t forget Your benefits, and I won’t forget to thank You for them.