THANKSGIVING FOR GOD’S GOODNESS

I love it when a plan comes together. I often attribute that success to the Holy Spirit. Like today.

To tell you a little, poorly kept secret, Rev. Sarah and I aren’t up each morning at 5:30 writing and posting these daily devotions. They are written a week or more in advance, and the schedule for this particular series was established in September (hence the title Psalmtember). That’s a long way around to tell you about my excitement. When I looked ahead to the sequence of the psalms we are following, and then discovered where this one fell on the calendar, and then looked it up in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, I was thrilled that Psalm 103, a psalm of Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness would post on Thanksgiving Day!

I hope you enjoy one of David songs of thanksgiving to God.

Of David.

¹ Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
⁵ who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The Lord works vindication
and justice for all who are oppressed.
⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for mortals, their days are like grass;
they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
¹⁷ But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
¹⁸ to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.

¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
²⁰ Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
obedient to his spoken word.
²¹ Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers who do his will.
²² Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Prayer

Thank you, God, for all your blessings. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.