Well, our next Psalm that we want to look at is Psalm 103, and although this appears to be a Psalm of worship, and it is, I want to entitle this Psalm, "The Danger of Forgetfulness."
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
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.
[...]
Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
There is a disease that tends to affect all of us as believers; it leaves us spiritually weak and crippled. It brings a harvest of bad fruit into our lives. It's the cause of all kinds of fear and anxiety and discouragement and heartache. It's the disease of 'Identity Amnesia.'
It's our tendency to forget who God is, and therefore, who we are as his children. And when we forget who we are as children, we lose sight of the incredible benefits, blessings, that are uniquely ours as the children of God. These blessings are not just about past forgiveness or future security with him in eternity, but the present riches of being a child of God.
I mean, just stop and think for a minute how amazing it is that the Lord of the universe unleashes his power for your good even though you can never earn or deserve his favor. I love what it says here about God, "He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love to those who fear him."
How amazing is that, that although I sin every day in word, thought, and action, God never responds to me based on my sin, but based on the inexhaustible steadfastness of his love.
This Psalm is just the bomb, I mean, it's just unbelievably beautiful as it talks about the goodness of God.
Now, here's what we need to understand. There's an enemy of your soul who would gladly give you your Sunday worship if he can cause you to forget the Lord the rest of the week-that's spiritual warfare!
And so, it's vital for us to confess how easy it is for us to forget God's presence and His grace. And if we're going to confess that, then it's vital also that we commit ourselves, listen to what I'm about to say, to be better at counting our blessings than we are at numbering our complaints.
It's so easy to complain. It's so easy to grumble. It's so easy to be discontent. And yet there are riches of blessings that have been poured down on us because God has chosen to shed his inexhaustible love on us. We are way more blessed than we could ever imagine!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. What parts of your life would you say have suffered from "identity amnesia" and how has that forgetfulness about who you are affected the way you look at the people in your life, your circumstances, and your relationship with God? What are the present riches you could be missing as a result of your identity amnesia?
2. Why do you think it's so easy to remember our complaints? In what areas is it extremely easy for you to complain about things? How are grumbling, complaining, and discontent a part of your everyday life?
3. Why do you think it's so difficult to remember all the things we should be thankful for? Even if you've done it before, take some time to write down a list of all the things you are thankful for in your life. Remember that this list is a list of God's blessings to you. After you've completed your list, write out a prayer of thanksgiving to God for all the ways that he has blessed you, and share that prayer with someone close to you as a way to verbally rejoice in how God has extended kindness and grace to you.
4. Are you aware of the spiritual warfare that's going on in your life right now? How are simple things such as forgetfulness, apathy, and going through the motions of Sunday worship a part of spiritual battle in your life? How can you more proactively engage with the spiritual battle in your life? What kinds of spiritual disciplines can you engage with to help fight well in the battle?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• Why do you think it's hard to be thankful and easy to complain? What are a few things that are easy for you to complain about? What are a few things that are difficult for you to be thankful for? How can you and I be more "forgetful" about complaining? How can you and I be more intentional about being thankful? Let's work on that together.
For Older Children:
• Why do you think it's difficult for us to count our blessings and easy for us to spout off our complaints? What do you think is the most common thing that's easy for you to complain about? What's the most common complaint you hear from me? How can you and I keep each other accountable for minimizing our complaints and increasing our gratitude for what God blessed us with in life? Let's be intentional about helping each other.
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