Do you ever find your head swirling with stuff to remember? Sometimes, I try to keep track on my phone, sending myself reminder text messages or using various apps with to-do lists. I also make lists and leave notes at strategic places to jog my memory.
While I’ve found these tactics to be helpful, it’s also important to consider why we might forget. This is so that we can give ourselves grace when we get into rough patches or seasons in life. For example, I know that when I come back from an international trip and I have bad jet lag, it’s not uncommon for me to forget things since my brain is in full hazy mode. I also can become forgetful when I have too many things happening at the same time, when I’m in a high stress season or when my sleep gets sabotaged.
I bring all of this to your attention because of a really interesting verse in Psalm 103:2 which says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits.”
After the directive not to forget any of the Lord’s benefits, the Psalmist proceeds to identify several of these benefits. In terms of remembering God’s blessings, this is curious to me because I often try to check my motives about connecting with God. I want to prioritize intimacy and connecting with God (seeking His face) more than just chasing God for what I can get (looking to His hands). Because of this mindset, I find it all the more compelling that the Psalmist itemizes some of the incredible things that God does for us!
The first and most important blessing that God gives us is forgiveness—God forgives all our iniquities, full stop. As I think about God’s forgiveness and the term, “all,” this can be quite astounding to ponder. Truly, the whole forgiveness thing is challenging on a personal level, as we can struggle to forgive ourselves for the things we’ve done. Furthermore, it can certainly be difficult to forgive others. I’m certain that people can struggle to forgive me. I’ve also struggled, at various times, to receive forgiveness. With all these challenges in mind, it’s very powerful to remind ourselves that God forgives all our iniquities.
Another benefit that the Psalmist identifies is that God heals all our diseases. This point immediately causes me to struggle because I’ve had many experiences in my life where it doesn’t seem like God has healed someone from a disease or ailment, so I struggle to reconcile what I read with the experiences in my life. I’m still not sure how to navigate what the Psalmist says with this benefit, except to acknowledge what is written. It also helps me to remember that ultimately, God does heal all diseases, either here on earth or in heaven.
In verse four we read that God “redeems your life from the pit.” It’s extremely powerful to remember this benefit when we’re in a pit, a difficult experience, a season of hardship or a seemingly hopeless situation. God can redeem! I’d go so far as to say that God is the ultimate redemption specialist. There is no pit in which God cannot work out redemption. This was true of Joseph in Genesis 37-50.
Furthermore, God crowns us with lovingkindness and compassion, as we read in the second half of Psalm 103:4. Consider how the New Century Bible translates this benefit from God: “[He] loads me with love and mercy.” When I think about God and His posture towards humanity, I’m often unraveled by the immensity and consistency of God’s tenderness and compassion for us. God’s posture is often a sharp contrast to how we can treat each other with our revenge strategies, secret manipulations, selfish posture, punitive plans, etc. Let’s remember that God crowns us with lovingkindness and compassion, so that we can hopefully share with others such goodness in our daily living.
Finally, in Psalm 103:5, we see another benefit that God gives us: “Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.” In this verse, we can remember that God satisfies our years with good things, no matter our age. When I was younger, I didn’t pay attention to this verse as much as I do now in my late 50s. At the same time, it’s also very powerful to look back at specific years and identify the good things that God did during that year. Keeping our focus on God and His good things can help us stay youthful and energetic.
Let’s keep reminding ourselves of God’s goodness in our lives! Keeping our memory fresh on God’s benefits helps our intimacy with God fresh and vibrant!
