Forget Not All His Benefits

This morning as I began to read the devotional from my Tecarta Bible app, a scripture memory song began playing in my mind,

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 forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalms 103:1‭-‬5 KJV

H2617 Lovingkindness (chesed) https://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/loved_by_god/the-lovingkindness-of-god/

We took a couple hour drive Wednesday to where I spent the first 37 years of my life, “down the bayou.” We visited my dad, one of my sisters and one of my sons. We listened to scripture memory songs both to and from there. They are a good way to get the Word of God hidden deep down into our hearts.

This is an excerpt from today’s devotional read on Tecarta,

God’s Tender Mercies – Genuine appreciation is enthusiastic—it eagerly enrolls others in joyful acknowledgement and celebration. David is a good example. He said, “The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything” (103:19). David found this so encouraging and such a reason for rejoicing that he took delight in praise and exhorted the whole created order to… https://tbibl.es/9c1p

The only problem with visions of God, high and lifted up on his throne, is that he can appear to be remote and inaccessible, removed from us and unmoved by the vicissitudes of life that we endure. But nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, the wonder of the divine-human relationship is that the transcendent Lord is immanent (close by). He who rules the heavens and the earth is neither unaware of nor unconcerned about the intimate details of our lives.

So tender are God’s thoughts toward us that he continually bears in mind that we are frail, fallen, and finite. “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he understands how weak we are; he knows we are only dust” (103:13-14). God is painfully aware of our limitations. He knows all about our sinful disposition, and he recognizes how tenuous our hold on life is. So he deals with us accordingly—both firmly and tenderly.

This does not mean that God overlooks our failings or excuses our sin. On the contrary, he holds us responsible, but he makes a way for us to be forgiven through the gracious work of Christ on the cross. In fact, “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases” (103:3).

If you ever wondered, there really are a lot of alligators “down the bayou.” Check out  another picture my wife took from our car window when we left my dad’s house. The canal is called “Bayou Blue.” The driveway and yard in the top left is at someones home. We were following a school bus dropping off children that had to walk relatively close to the gators. My wife still gets amazed to see these gators so close to peoples homes, even in their front yard. My high school mascot was “Gators.”

If God has ever saved you from yourself or from other perils as He has done for me, you’ll sing and Praise The LORD from a truly grateful heart,

who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion who satisfies your desires with goodness so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. Praise the Lord all my soul And forget not all his benefits.