Psalm 103:3(a)
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 forgives all your iniquity.
One of the saddest facts about mankind is that we have a habit of remembering vividly bad things that have happened to us, but quickly forget the good. As a result, gratitude is not something that we adopt as a lifestyle. But the Psalmist in our passage today speaks to his soul and calls upon himself to bless the Lord. Part of what he calls himself to do is not to forget all the benefits that he has received from God. When we remember how God has benefitted our lives, then we return back to Him with thanksgiving.
One of the things that he recalls and that is a ground for gratitude is the fact that God forgives all of our iniquity. The forgiveness of sins is sufficient reason for us to give thanks and praise to God. Our sinful actions only deserve to be repayed with God’s righteous judgement, but He instead chooses to forgive us. And not only that, but He forgives all of our sins. That there are no sins that are too much to be forgiven, nor too big and gross for God to forgive. What a wonderful thing this is. That in the words of the hymn writer, we can muse:
My sin, O the bliss
Of this glorious thought
My sin not in part but the whole
Is nailed to His cross
And I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord
O my soul
Let us be grateful to God this Thanksgiving week for His forgiveness of our sins.
Reflections
1. As we begin the Thanksgiving week, what are you most grateful for?
2. Why do you think the Psalmist in Psalm 103 begins with forgiveness of sins as the first reason for praise and thanksgiving?
