God remembers and we are called to remember
Psalm 103
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….
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 for ever.
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 towards 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 that do his will.
22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
A number of lines from this psalm are part of the life of present-day Christians: Vs. 1 “Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me”; Vs. 5 “youth is renewed like the eagle’s”; Vs. 8 “slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love”; and Vs. 12 “as far as the east is from the west, so far God removes our transgressions from us.”
God is the one who forgives us showing us mercy both in our forgiveness and in God’s care for us. God recognizes that we are human, that we are not like God – we are the creature and God is the Creator. Vs. 14 – God knows how we were made and that we are dust – God remembers this truth. From God’s remembering that we are dust, that we are human, flow the grace and love God have for us. It is out of God’s remembering that humans are frail children of dust that God was willing to provide a means for human beings to be saved – the death and resurrection of Jesus – the cross and the empty tomb.
Just as God remembers – we as human beings are told to remember (“not forget” – vs. 2) all the good God does for us – all the benefits – forgiveness, healing, eternal life, renewal, salvation. Which obviously produce praise, worship and adoration to this great God who does all things well. Our remembering goes also to the pattern of life we live – “remember to do his commandments” (vs. 18). In our thankful remembering we consciously seek to shape our lives to conform to the patterns of life laid out in the commandments which are the way that leads to faithful living the Jesus way.
We remember the good that comes from the God who remembers, remembering the patterns he has established that lead to life.
PRAYER:
We rejoice, O Lord, that you remember that we are the creature and not the creation, that we are but dust. Teach us to remember the same thing and to then rejoice that you have made by you the God of grace and love. Remind us of your path to life and of your forgiveness that we might bless your name forever and ever. Amen.