PSALM 103

PSALM 103:1-6 (NIV)

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.

King David, the writer of Psalm 103, was a man of direct words. He poured his emotions and observations about God into treasured Psalms that still touch us today. David understood the covenant God had made with Abraham and its everlasting promises. He has noted some of those in the song. The works of this song were fulfilled in Jesus’ ongoing ministry, and reach out to His followers today.

The names of I Am (Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Shalom, etc.) were revealed in each incident where God ministered on behalf of the wandering Israeli tribes. You can ponder how He led them by a cloud of glory and a pillar of fire, delivered the Ten Commandments to them at Mount Sinai, forgave their wayward idolatry in Moses' absence, and how He healed them when bitten by fiery snakes in the desert. Take this a little further, and you catch the benefits that Jesus ministered – provision, food, living water, compassion, forgiveness, healing, and redemption.