Let all that I am praise the LORD! In my Bible reading this morning, Psalm 103:1 (NLT) opens and closes with this phrase. What does it mean to praise the Lord with all that I am? David says, “With my whole heart,” he will praise the Lord. This means that with all of who David is, the totality of his actual person will praise the Lord! This praise was not just lip service or something he would do because others were watching; his total inner self, his core being, would praise the LORD. The question is, why? In Psalm 103:2, David says so that he will not forget the good things God does for him! What are these good things?
In Psalm 103:3-5, David describes how his life has been crowned with God’s love and mercy. David has experienced the forgiveness of sin time and time again. He has experienced the healing of diseases, likely both spiritually and physically. Healing from bitterness, depression, anger, and impatience are a few of the things that David has referenced in other psalms. Healing from physical disorders, as David indicates, has also renewed his strength like that of an eagle. David concludes that his life has been filled with good things. Even while living in caves, on the run from Saul, surrounded by enemies, with his character assassinated by gossip and lies, David still concludes that his life has been filled with good things. These good things came from God!
In Psalm 103:7-18 David rejoices in the character of God. Verses thirteen and fourteen stood out to me.
As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:13–14, ESV)
God’s character includes His patience and compassion, which stand in great contrast to the gods of the many religions worldwide. Man-made gods are demanding, exacting, and cruel. Man-made gods know nothing of human frailty. They demand perfection, and because man can’t achieve it, the masses live in fear. But this is not the LORD God.
He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. (Psalm 103:9–11, NLT)
Now, this doesn’t mean that God excuses sin. God is also holy and just! But the demands of God’s holiness have already been met by our Saviour, His only begotten Son, who is God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus bore the harshness of God upon Himself on the cross, making full payment for our sins through the shedding of His blood. What a God! David couldn’t help but praise the Lord with the entirety of his inner being.
David ends the Psalm by calling upon all creation to praise the Lord.
Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul. (Psalm 103:22, KJV)
Believers, let’s rejoice in God’s patience and compassion! Let’s rejoice in God, who fills our lives with good things! Let’s remember He knows that we are weak and but dust, but He is strong and tender! Let all that we are praise the Lord!
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Psalms 102-104.