SYNOPSIS: God’s manifold and gracious benefits aren’t given to just anybody—although they are available to everybody. There is a critical caveat found in Psalm 103:18: To live under these Divine blessings requires covenant-keeping. God keeps his covenantal promises only with those who keep their covenantal promise to obey his laws. Still, though this is a conditional covenant, we get the far better deal, by miles. Even when we don’t always live up to our end of the bargain, God looks upon us through his eyes of compassion, sustains us by his mercy, forgives our repentance, and patiently, lovingly, enduringly keeps us in his family.

Moments with God // Psalm 103:1-5

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.

I love this psalm—it’s one of my favorites. For most people, it is right up there with the Twenty-Third Psalm, and if you are a lover of the Psalms, I suspect it has at least made your Top Ten.

David is on his game in this psalm; he’s in the sweet spot of Divine favor, the blessing zone, if you will, as he calls up from his memory banks his Top Ten list of why it is so good to belong to God:

1. Forgiveness—Psalm 103:3
2. Healing—Psalm 103:3
3. Redemption—Psalm 103:4
4. Compassion—Psalm 103:4
5. Satisfaction—Psalm 103:5
6. Justice—Psalm 103:6
7. Revelation—Psalm 103:7
8. Patience—Psalm 103:8
9. Mercy—Psalm 103:9-14
10. Love—Psalm 103:17

No wonder David “bookends” this psalm with “praise the Lord, O my soul” (Psalm 103:1, 22). What soul wouldn’t pour forth unfettered praise at the realization of all the undeserved and life-sustaining blessings that God graciously gives!

Of course, these benefits aren’t given to just anybody—although they are available to everybody. There is a critical caveat found in Psalm 103:18:

From everlasting to everlasting, the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

To live under these Divine blessings requires covenant-keeping. God keeps his covenantal promises only with those who keep their covenantal promise to obey his laws. Still, though this is a conditional covenant, we get the far better deal, by miles. Even when we don’t always live up to our end of the bargain, God looks upon us through his eyes of compassion, sustains us by his mercy, forgives our repentance, and patiently, lovingly, enduringly keeps us in his family.

All I can say to that is, “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits! (Psalm 103:2)

So, take some time to remember the benefits of belonging to God. My guess is, like David, you, too, will be singing a little soul music!

“ He rides pleasantly enough whom the grace of God carries. — THOMAS A` KEMPIS