We are looking at the unasked questions in Psalm 103. Last week, we considered the unspoken question of how to begin with a reply of Bless the Lord. The last part of verse two leads us to our next unspoken question. “Bless the Lord, my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits;” (Psalm 103:2, NASB 2020)
Between the end of verse two and the beginning of verse three seems to be the unspoken question- What are His Benefits? Verses three to five answer that question. “Who pardons all your guilt, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with favor and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.” (Psalm 103:3–5, NASB 2020) These are six phrases are not asked as “who” questions. They are answers, statements, to a single question that remembers His benefits.
The Lord pardons all our guilt. Wow! The Lord heals all your diseases, whether the healing is medical, natural, or supernatural. All healing is divine healing. The Lord redeems our life from the pit. As Psalm 40 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; And He reached down to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud; And He set my feet on a rock, making my footsteps firm.” (Psalm 40:1–2, NASB 2020) The Lord crowns us with His favor and compassion – His grace, mercy, and lovingkindness. The Lord satisfies our years with good things. I think of Abraham, Sarah, and the long years between Promise and Isaac.
These verses end with, “So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.” The Lord’s blessings don’t weigh us down; they lift us up. Sure, there is trouble, stress, and anxiety as our lives unfold. Lambchow was born and continues through waves of trouble and promise, fulfillment and stress, anxious thoughts, and wonderful joys. That is just the scenery of the moment as we continue to focus on Christ and Christ’s people. Perhaps your steps are similar.
The next unspoken question of Psalm 103 is this: how are we renewed? We’ll discuss that in our next article. However, I don’t want to leave you without an important promise from Isaiah that ties this article and the next together. Isaiah wrote, “He gives strength to the weary, And to the one who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.” (Isaiah 40:29–31, NASB 2020)
The benefits listed above require waiting on the Lord for the answer. Know this – He will answer, and His benefits will be there. Yet all of this is in the Lord’s timing and in the Lord’s way – not in our timing and our way. Bless the Lord, and do not forget, do not give up, and do not lose hope! If you trust the Lord, He is working these out in your life, even if it doesn’t seem so. Bless the Lord, oh my soul!
- What Benefits? Psalm 103 Stave Two - July 3, 2024
- Pslam 103 – Stave One - July 1, 2024
- Between Promise and Redemption - June 26, 2024