PSALM 103:1-5: “My soul, bless the Lord, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. My soul, bless the Lord, and do not forget all his benefits. He forgives all your iniquity; he heals all your diseases. He redeems your life from the Pit; he crowns you with faithful love and compassion. He satisfies you with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle.” CSB

OBSERVATION: When was the last time I took an inventory of all the blessings the Lord has given to me? In life, it is easy to rehearse our struggles, hurts, and disappointments. However, do they really compare to all the benefits the Lord has given to us?

David recounts the blessings of the Lord in Psalm 103. He does not do it from a merely intellectual level. Rather, he calls to his very soul and all that is within him to bless the Lord. He stands ready to worship the Lord with all of His heart, his soul, his mind, and his strength! This has always been the call to the children of God. It is not only our privilege to worship the Lord, it is the very sacrifice that God desires.

• “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.” Romans 12:1 CSB

Our worship is not merely something we do because He calls us to worship. It is a heartfelt response of love for all He has done for us. And, oh, what He has done for us!

He forgives all your iniquity!

If He never did anything other than this, it would be enough to worship Him for all eternity. He loved us so much that He sent Jesus Christ, His only Son, to die in our place. He did not merely forgive us of our sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He removed our sins. He granted us a full and complete pardon!

• “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalms 103:11-12 CSB

He heals all your diseases!

Jesus Christ is not only our Savior, He is also our healer. When He bore our sins on the cross of Calvary, He also bore our diseases. His ministry was marked by compassion as He healed the sick. And Jesus is still healing the sick today. He has called us to be His ambassadors to both preach the Gospel and to lay hands on the sick. The ministry of healing did not end with the Apostles. It continues today through the gifts of the Holy Spirit working through the church!

• “Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” James 5:14-15 CSB

He redeems your life from the Pit; he crowns you with faithful love and compassion.

To live without Christ is to live without hope. I have done many funerals for families who had no eternal hope. There is a distinct difference when you do a funeral for a believer and an unbeliever. The believer rests in the hope of the resurrection. There is grief for the temporary loss of the one they loved. However, there is an abounding hope that they will one day be reunited in heaven. We sorrow at times of loss, yet we sorrow in hope. It is the hope of the resurrection and the power of His faithful love and compassion that sustain us!

• “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 CSB

He satisfies you with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle.”

If I were to write down all the blessings the Lord has brought into my life it would fill more than a book! I do not serve the Lord for His blessings. I serve the Lord because He called me. I have answered the call to pick up my cross, deny myself, and follow Him. This is a call to lay everything and anything down in obedience to Him. Yet, when we do this, we are never met with loss. He brings forth in our lives His overflowing blessing. We walk in a never ending revelation of His glory being revealed in our lives. And as we do, He renews our youth like the eagle!

• “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding. He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31 CSB

On this Sunday morning, I have a choice. I can choose to rehearse my struggles, hurts, and disappointments – or I can choose to bless the Lord with all my soul. I can rise up and let all that is within me bless His holy name.

Lord, this morning I choose to worship, I choose to praise, I choose to bless Your holy name!

In Jesus Name!