THE MERCIFUL GOD
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A reflection from PSALM 103:1-22
1:Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2:Praise the Lord, 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,
5:who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6:The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
7:He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
8:The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
9:He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10:he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
11:For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
12:as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13:As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14:for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
15:The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;
16:the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
17:But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children
18:with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
19:The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
20:Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
21:Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
22:Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, my soul. NIV
Adams sin led the human race into the universal experience of sin, sickness and death but In this passage, the psalmist presents a picture of God to the contrary: forgiving,
healing and
giving the gift of eternal life.
That love of God which is expressed in His forgiveness of sin is mercy.
Mercy and grace sum up Gods dealing with his children.
He is slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
Gods mercy is so strong that while as mortals, we blossom like flowers and are gone with the wind, his mercy endures forever (15-18).
By his mercy, his love for our generation unborn is guaranteed But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness unto childrens children.
This calls for a response of obedience, loyalty and diligence.
We should be able to hand over our faith in God to our children.
So that they too will enjoy that continuous mercy of God which He continually shower on those who love him.
PRAY WITH ME:
Our Father in heaven, may your goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our life in Jesus name.