JUNE 20, 2014
Forgotten
Memories
Read: Psalm
103:1-8
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. —Psalm 103:2
Recently, a friend from my
youth emailed me a picture of our junior high track team. The grainy
black-and-white snapshot showed a vaguely familiar group of teens with our two
coaches. I was instantly swept back in time to happy memories of running the
mile and the half-mile in track meets. Yet even as I enjoyed remembering those
days, I found myself thinking about how easily I had forgotten them and moved
on to other things.
As we make our way on the
journey of life, it is easy to forget places, people, and events that have been
important to us along the way. Time passes, yesterday fades, and we become
obsessed with the concerns of the moment. When this happens, we can also forget
just how good God has been to us. Perhaps that is why David remembered as he
wrote, “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” (Ps.
103:1-2).
Never is this remembrance
more needed than when the heartaches of life crowd in on us. When we are
feeling overwhelmed and forgotten, it’s important to recall all that He has
done for us. In remembering, we find the encouragement to trust Him in the
present and for the future.
When upon life’s billows
you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged,
thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings,
name them one by one,
And it will surprise you
what the Lord hath done. —Oatman
Remembering God’s
faithfulness in the past strengthens us for the future.
Insight
Many of the psalms refer
to the miraculous and wonderful deeds of God in Israel’s history (see Pss. 44,
78, 89, 90, 105). Today’s psalm asks the reader to remember not God’s deeds but
God’s character and the gracious benefits He gives to His people. God’s
benefits—forgiveness, healing, redemption, and crowning with lovingkindness and
mercy—have always been available to God’s people and are still available today
(Ps. 103:3-5). These benefits are rooted in God’s character, which the psalmist
describes in verse 8. This verse reminds the reader of God’s own description of
His character in the book of Exodus: “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and
gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth” (34:6).
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
