Praise The Lord Regardless of Circumstances

Psalms 103:1–14
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Spurgeon said, “There is too much in this Psalm for a thousand pens to write. It has often been referred to as David’s Hallelujah Chorus. It contains twenty-two verses - the same number as there are letters in the Hebrew alphabet. In the original text the verses are all of uniform length and all contain two lines each. It is a composition of praise by the psalmist to the God of Israel whom he loved so dearly.

David calls upon all his faculties to bless the holy name of God. He begins his list of blessings:

1. “who forgiveth all thine iniquities” - (v. 3)
2. “who healeth all thy diseases” - (v. 3)
3. “who redeemeth thy life from destruction” (v. 4)
4. “who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies (v. 4)
5. “who satisfieth thy mouth with good things” (v. 5)

The psalmist turns his attention completely to praising God for His divine character (vv. 8-10). He says that “the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not chide (contend): neither will he keep his anger forever. This means that God will not always contend with those who sin. Regardless of circumstances He bears no grudges and harbors no resentments. God does not punish us as we deserve or we would be consigned to hell forever. We need to praise God for what He has not done to us, as well as for what He has done for us.

Application

It is easy to complain about circumstances in my life but David’s list gives me plenty for which to praise God. If I feel as though I have nothing to praise God for I need to read David’s list.