Psalm 103: 2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion
Sometimes we have to be reminded of just how great God’s influence is in our lives. The above Psalm speaks of not forgetting his benefits. They say that only when you lose something do you really appreciate it, and in a sense that is true. We take for granted the ability to use a hand or to walk, or to hear or just eat. I remember after my knee op when I could not walk without crutches for weeks, and how difficult it was to for example get a bowl of cereal for myself and carry it upstairs.
As I think about the highs and lows of being a church leader, I think of how seldom we are stopped and thanked for a job well done and how often we are criticised by the best intentioned saints. Then I thought of God and how it must be for him. The Psalm reminds us to not forget all his benefits, and yet as soon as something does not go the way we want it, oh woe is me and where is God and why does he not seem to care about me. How often do I stop and thank God for his many benefits, for forgiving my sins, for healing my diseases. I reckon that God heals us many times before we get sick.
But the best part of the above verse is that he “crowns me with love and compassion”. A crown is something you give to a person of huge importance, honour and stature. Crowns are usually reserved for kings. And that is how Father God sees me – as someone worthy of being crowned with his love and compassion. This day let me walk in this revelation.
amen.