God Cares for His People

BY Bailey T. Hurley

Book IV
Book IV is a response to the despair of Book III. With only two psalms attributed to David, this section anchors the worshiper outside the reign of David, all the way back to creation, the exodus, and the early history of the nation of Israel.

Every summer, my church pauses its curriculum to study the book of Psalms, and I clearly remember one of our teaching pastors describing Psalm 103 as a sandwich. Psalm 103 begins with a call to worship and concludes with a call to worship. But the meat inside the sandwich is all the many ways God loves and cares for His people. The three different psalms from our reading struck me in this way: when I recount God’s enduring and saving love, my only response is to praise. 

Unfortunately, we are more like Israel who “did not grasp the significance of [God’s] wondrous works or remember [His] many acts of faithful love” (Psalm 106:7).

We can talk easily about the things we love: a new beauty product, a movie we saw, or a podcast we listened to. Many of my conversations involve me excitedly recounting a recent episode of my favorite reality show or a book I have just finished. Yet, how often am I talking about God’s goodness? How often am I intentionally remembering and sharing the ways He cares for me?

Psalm 106 describes all of Israel’s forgetfulness and rebellion toward God. As I read through it, it doesn’t sound much different from how I rebel against God. Do you see it too? We exchange the glory of what God has given us for temporary satisfaction. We doubt His promises when things don’t go according to our plan. When we forget God, we fall prey to despising Him because we are blind to all the ways He protects and cares for us.

In Psalm 103, David recognizes this human frailty: “As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known” (Psalm 103:15–16). Then gives credit to the only One who could save us from our flawed state. “But from eternity to eternity the LORD’s faithful love is toward those who fear him” (vv.17).

God’s faithfulness presses on. We couldn’t possibly count all His mercies. We deserve the crown of thorns but instead God gives us a crown of “faithful love and compassion” (v.4). There are so many reasons to praise the Lord. 

When we are walking in relationship with God, seeing His wonder and works, then we will not fall into temptation to forget Him. We will see our sin and His holy works and find ourselves filled with praise. Instead of only talking about our favorite new trend, we will tell of His endless love for us.