Psalm 103: Bless the Lord, o my soul

This seems to me - Westerley Christian Care Home, Minehead - to be a good home. A place of care and safety. A place for rest, bringing relief from the burden of household responsibilities such as shopping, washing, and cleaning. A place of community, freeing you from the pains and sorrows of isolation and loneliness.

Of course it’s not a perfect home, nor an ideal family. Sometimes it must be a difficult place to be. You have to make adjustments. You will at times suffer upset and maybe regret, even resent having to live here. And it may be that these thoughts at times dominate your heart.

Have you noticed how things which upset us can control our thinking and living. They push out our good things. Joys may last for an hour but upsets go on forever.

David, who wrote this psalm, suffered bad times and events, especially so as he became older - his life becoming shadowed by difficult children, doing bad things even with one son trying to overthrow him; with people and friends who were not always as pleasing as they should have been; external enemies and his own rash actions. Perhaps he felt at times as if the bad was getting on top of the good. Perhaps that’s why he wrote this psalm, to remind himself of God’s blessings.

If so he could have focused on the benefits of being the king, of his wealth, and renown, of God’s promise to build him a dynasty that would last forever. But these are not the benefits he tells himself not to forget. Rather his benefits are deeper, and apply to any man or woman who puts their trust in the one and only God.

The God who forgives our sins. The things we do that hurt others separate us from God. God’s forgiving them restores us to His presence. God heals our diseases, the worst of which is the sickness of sin, self and suffering in death. What is not healed in our present living God will heal by redeeming us from the grave. We cannot all be kings but God crowns us with love and compassion, He has and will satisfy us with good things, and He will be our strength in our old age, indeed for all eternity for He loves us from everlasting to everlasting.

And God blesses His people even though He knows what we are like, our behaviour and words, the motives of our actions, and the secrets of our hearts. He knows what we are really like yet He treats those who depend on Him with the merciful love of a compassionate father. David hints at this as being an eternal benefit, but we can clearly see that it is so, for we are benefactors of the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ Jesus, the living expression of God’s mercy and compassion.

Christ is the gift of God’s love for us. If you yet do not trust the Lord, may it be that today you turn to Him and receive His benefits. And for all who do trust Him, may we know never forget, even under the power of strong troubles to remember His benefits. And may we all come now and continue in eternity to rejoice together in wonder, love and praise. Amen.