Worship the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Worship the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103: 1-5)
Like many, I was thrilled for Nick Dunlap! What an extraordinary accomplishment! Article after article raved at his achievement, appropriately so! Amidst all the well-deserved praise for this college sophomore, I found one article grieving with Sam Burns.
Hitting it into the water on the last two holes to fall out of the lead has to sting. Sam’s response to this uncharacteristically calamitous finish will shape his future. This raises a question.
How are we to navigate the profoundly disappointing moments in our lives? Do we sulk? Do we allow depression to tyrannize us? Do we become embittered?
King David had some serious highs (i.e., defeating Goliath) and some devastating lows (i.e., adultery). Like David, some of our “lows” are self-inflicted: an ill-advised investment, an inappropriate relationship, an impulsive decision, and…. Then, of course, sometimes, LIFE just hammers us.
What to do? If we follow David, we will discover three important action steps: 1) Self-talk, 2) Remembering, and 3) Worship.
First, we see the immense importance of “self-talk.” (e.g., Psalms 42 and 43). He is motivating himself out of the “mulligrubs.” He says, “O my soul,” three times in this Psalm; that’s not coincidental; that’s intentional.
Thankfully, this Warrior Poet recorded some of his “notes to self” so we might know how to navigate Life’s defeats. He begins with self-talk, but he doesn’t end there!
Secondly, the content of his self-talk is not the typical “self-help” stuff to which Americans are accustomed; rather, David says to his heart, “Forget not all his benefits…” Then he specifies six undeserved rewards of salvation: Forgiveness, Healing, Redemption, Crowning, Satisfying, and Renewing.
Thirdly, this rehearsal of the benefits of salvation led David unavoidably to grateful worship. How could it not? Like David, when we see the horror of our sinfulness and the rupture it caused with our Maker, nothing is more precious than knowing we are forgiven.
Like David, when we see the debilitating sicknesses produced in our souls as a consequence of our disobedience(s), nothing is as liberating as being healed.
Like David, when our eyes are opened to the outcome of rebelling against the Creator—The Pit—nothing causes the heart to rejoice more than knowing our redemption is eternally secured by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
Like David, to remember that the righteous and holy One, who owed us nothing but judgment, chose to “crown us” as “co-heirs” with his Son produces an explosion of unending praise. Focusing on past failures is virtually impossible when one is in awe-struck wonder at God’s kindness.
Like David, recognizing that God floods our souls with Spirit-inspired satisfactions—restoring our souls from all our profound disappointments—causes our hearts to experience explosive emotions of joy.
Like David, to remind our hearts that God our Savior visits us with his renewing strength as we draw near in grateful praise causes even the most feeble to soar like the eagle.
If you find yourself troubled, remind your soul of all the benefits that accrue to the one who trusts Jesus Christ. Then, fall to the ground in wonder and worship of our benevolent King!
To paraphrase Charles Spurgeon, “Memory is very treacherous about the best things; by a strange perversity, engendered by our rebellion, memory treasures up the failures of the past and permits priceless treasures to lie neglected, memory is tenacious about grievances and holds [His] benefits all too loosely.”
O my soul, forget not all his benefits!
Prayer: Father, open the eyes of our hearts to your many undeserved gifts. Cause us to marvel at your goodness.