Psalm 103
The Voice (VOICE)
Psalm 103
A song of David.
1 O my soul, come, praise the Eternal
with all that is in me—body, emotions, mind, and will—every part of who I am—
praise His holy name.
2 O my soul, come, praise the Eternal;
sing a song from a grateful heart;
sing and never forget all the good He has done.
3 Despite all your many offenses, He forgives and releases you.
More than any doctor, He heals your diseases.
4 He reaches deep into the pit to deliver you from death.
He crowns you with unfailing love and compassion like a king.
5 When your soul is famished and withering,
He fills you with good and beautifulthings, satisfying you as long as you live.
He makes you strong like an eagle, restoring your youth.
with all that is in me—body, emotions, mind, and will—every part of who I am—
praise His holy name.
2 O my soul, come, praise the Eternal;
sing a song from a grateful heart;
sing and never forget all the good He has done.
3 Despite all your many offenses, He forgives and releases you.
More than any doctor, He heals your diseases.
4 He reaches deep into the pit to deliver you from death.
He crowns you with unfailing love and compassion like a king.
5 When your soul is famished and withering,
He fills you with good and beautifulthings, satisfying you as long as you live.
He makes you strong like an eagle, restoring your youth.
6 When people are crushed, wronged, enslaved, raped, murdered,
the Eternal is just;
He makes the wrongs right.
7 He showed Moses His ways;
He allowed His people Israel to see His wonders and acts of power.
8 The Eternal is compassionate and merciful.
When we cross all the lines, He is patient with us.
When we struggle against Him, He lovingly stays with us—changing, convicting, prodding;
9 He will not constantly criticize,
nor will He hold a grudge forever.
10 Thankfully, God does not punish us for our sins and depravity as we deserve.
In His mercy, He tempers justice with peace.
11 Measure how high heaven is above the earth;
God’s wide, loving, kind heart is greater for those who revere Him.
12 You see, God takes all our crimes—our seemingly inexhaustible sins—and removes them.
As far as east is from the west, He removes them from us.
13 An earthly father expresses love for his children;
it is no different with our heavenly Father;
The Eternal shows His love for those who revere Him.
14 For He knows what we are made of;
He knows our frame is frail, and He remembers we came from dust.
the Eternal is just;
He makes the wrongs right.
7 He showed Moses His ways;
He allowed His people Israel to see His wonders and acts of power.
8 The Eternal is compassionate and merciful.
When we cross all the lines, He is patient with us.
When we struggle against Him, He lovingly stays with us—changing, convicting, prodding;
9 He will not constantly criticize,
nor will He hold a grudge forever.
10 Thankfully, God does not punish us for our sins and depravity as we deserve.
In His mercy, He tempers justice with peace.
11 Measure how high heaven is above the earth;
God’s wide, loving, kind heart is greater for those who revere Him.
12 You see, God takes all our crimes—our seemingly inexhaustible sins—and removes them.
As far as east is from the west, He removes them from us.
13 An earthly father expresses love for his children;
it is no different with our heavenly Father;
The Eternal shows His love for those who revere Him.
14 For He knows what we are made of;
He knows our frame is frail, and He remembers we came from dust.
15 The children of Adam are like grass;
their days are few;
they flourish for a time like flowers in a meadow.
16 As the wind blows over the field and the bloom is gone,
it doesn’t take much to blow us out of the memory of that place.
17 But the unfailing love of the Eternal is always and eternal
for those who reverently run after Him.
He extends His justice on and on to future generations,
18 To those who will keep His bond of love
and remember to walk in the guidance of His commands.
their days are few;
they flourish for a time like flowers in a meadow.
16 As the wind blows over the field and the bloom is gone,
it doesn’t take much to blow us out of the memory of that place.
17 But the unfailing love of the Eternal is always and eternal
for those who reverently run after Him.
He extends His justice on and on to future generations,
18 To those who will keep His bond of love
and remember to walk in the guidance of His commands.
19 The Eternal has established His throne up in the heavens.
He rules over every seen and unseen realm and creature.
20 Adore Him! Give Him praise, you heavenly messengers,
you powerful creatures who listen to
and act on His every word.
21 Give praise to the Eternal, all armiesof heaven—
you servants who stand ready to do His will.
22 Give praise to the Eternal, all that He has made
in all corners of His creation.
O my soul, come, praise the Eternal!
He rules over every seen and unseen realm and creature.
20 Adore Him! Give Him praise, you heavenly messengers,
you powerful creatures who listen to
and act on His every word.
21 Give praise to the Eternal, all armiesof heaven—
you servants who stand ready to do His will.
22 Give praise to the Eternal, all that He has made
in all corners of His creation.
O my soul, come, praise the Eternal!
Forgiveness, why do I find it hard to forgive a person who has really done a good job in messing me up, why do I find it hard to forgive them? To be honest, pride comes on me, pride comes on me and whispers a pretty good and convincing lie into my ear, one that I buy into. You don't have to forgive that person! Look at ALL they have done to you, don't you remember everything they put you through? Isn't the pain still fresh and festering within you? Nope don't forgive them! Put up those walls. Block them off. Do whatever you need to do that will allow you to harbor a grudge and never give them another chance, because you know what, they really really really really REALLY messed up, and they really hurt you, and you ARE ENTITLED to harbor unforgiveness. Well that's absolutely wrong and unbiblical, but it is true, many times. I can get caught up in the hurt that someone has done to me and feel as if I am entitled to hold a grudge, AS IF I ever did anything to earn forgiveness and salvation.
So this is the sobering moment. I have to dwell on this passage and have it wash over me over and over and over and over again. I have to put my pride and crusty heart on the altar and allow God to deal with me. I must make the choice to forgive. I must choose to love. I must choose to be obedient to God despite my feelings. How dare I hold unforgiveness when Christ went through what he went through so that I may receive forgiveness for all of my sin and have eternal life because of him.
David gets it in this passage and he can't praise God enough. He's like WHOA God you are so GOOD, let every part of my entire being praise you! You hold back what I deserve (judgement and death) and instead you would give me what I don't deserve (forgiveness) and I never had to earn it, you just did it because you loved me.
You loved me so much that you would send your only Son to this earth to be poured out as a sacrifice for all of my sin. You sent him onto this earth. He knew what he would have to go through. He knew the pain he would experience. He felt every blow to his body. He felt every insult and endured all the mockery. And he died even for the very people who would nail him to the cross. He went to the cross despite his feelings in obedience to you God. He would take on all the sins of the world and all the darkness, so that his light would be transferred to us. And he went knowing that we would mess up, knowing how many times we would break his heart, knowing our rap sheet, knowing how many times we would run from him, knowing the darkest parts of us, and yet he went to the cross, because he loved us. So Lord HELP ME TO PRAISE YOU WITH ALL THAT I AM! May I NEVER forget all that you have done for me. May I never forget where I came from. May I never forget all that you have forgiven. May I never forget that you loved me enough to call me. May I never forget all that you have done for me, and may I no longer hold grudges or unforgiveness because you didn't choose to do that for me. I am not entitled to hold unforgiveness. Grant me a heart of humility, help me to be slow to anger and quick to forgive, and quick to love. In Jesus name I pray Amen
Be quick to forgive, no BUT you don't even know what they did to me's. God doesn't question when you ask for forgiveness. He just does. So follow suit. Experience the freedom and joy that comes with it. And watch God take you farther than ever before.
Psalm 27:6
6 God lifts me high above those with thoughts
of death and deceit that call for my life.
I will enter His presence, offering sacrifices and praise.
In His house, I am overcome with joy
As I sing, yes, and play music for the Eternal alone.
of death and deceit that call for my life.
I will enter His presence, offering sacrifices and praise.
In His house, I am overcome with joy
As I sing, yes, and play music for the Eternal alone.
