You Have Compassion on Your Children

Text: Psalm 103:1-22

In this 2-week reading plan, we are assuming a posture of thanksgiving before the Lord by meditating on ten Psalms of Gratitude. Rather than provide a written response to each Psalm, we have offered a simple yet meaningful activity designed to help us recall God’s mercies to us and through time. So grab a journal, and let’s create our own songs of thanksgiving to God.

 

Psalm 103
The Forgiving God
Davidic.

My soul, praise Yahweh,
and all that is within me, praise His holy name.
My soul, praise the Lord,
and do not forget all His benefits.

He forgives all your sin;
He heals all your diseases.
He redeems your life from the Pit;
He crowns you with faithful love and compassion.
He satisfies you with goodness;
your youth is renewed like the eagle.

The Lord executes acts of righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
He revealed His ways to Moses,
His deeds to the people of Israel.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and rich in faithful love.
He will not always accuse us
or be angry forever.
He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve
or repaid us according to our offenses.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His faithful love
toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed
our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He knows what we are made of,
remembering that we are dust.

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.
But from eternity to eternity
the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear Him,
and His righteousness toward the grandchildren
of those who keep His covenant,
who remember to observe His precepts.
The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
and His kingdom rules over all.

Praise the Lord,
all His angels of great strength,
who do His word,
obedient to His command.
Praise the Lord, all His armies,
His servants who do His will.
Praise the Lord, all His works
in all the places where He rules.
My soul, praise Yahweh!

Dig Deeper:

May we forget not the Lord’s benefits! The faithful love and compassion God showed to David is true for us too. Read verses 3-5 again, and record God’s goodness to you by writing specific mercies in the blanks below.

He forgives _________;

He heals ____________.

He redeems __________;

He crowns me with __________.

He satisfies me with __________.