“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

Psalm 103:1 ESV

I recently stumbled upon some familiar verses in the book of Psalms. The scripture above is the opening verse for Psalm 103 and it sets the stage for the rest of this chapter. For some of us, this verse might bring to mind an old worship song (one of my favorites) from the early 2,000’s that talks about having 10,000 reasons for a heart to sing! That’s exactly what the psalmist David is about to tell us. All the reasons why he can’t hold it in anymore. He must put pen to paper and express for eternity just how amazing our God is! Let’s keep reading to hear why…

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases.”

Psalm 103:2-3 ESV

Did any of the words from these next two verses catch your eye? For me it was the words, “forgives” and “heals”. Those are two very powerful actions that God promises to us as believers. Words that we actually experience and can feel the long lasting effects of every day. Forgiveness of sin and healing in our bodies. He continues with…

“Who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.”

Psalm 103:4 ESV

The next verse in our passage boldly declares God as our “redeemer” and the one who “crowns” us. I am so glad that we have a God that wants to rescue us and shower us with lavishness. Clothe us in the finest garments and adorn us with a beautiful crown, just like a princess. I used to dream of being a princess when I was little (ok ok, maybe I still dream about it)…

“Who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Psalm 103:5 ESV

This last verse is the one that struck me the most. God “satisfies” us and “renews” us. But, let’s focus on the last part of this sentence. It is telling us that our lives will be RENEWED like the eagle’s. To understand what this verse is saying, we need to first learn how an eagle ‘renews its youth’. Eagles go through the process of shedding (molting) their worn out, dirty, used feathers. Feathers that have become weighed down and heavy, making it harder for the bird to fly around and catch a meal. Once they complete this process of shedding the old feathers and growing new ones, the eagle becomes good as new and can flourish as it did when it was younger.

This is a picture of the same process we go through spiritually when we confess sin and receive forgiveness. We shed the things that are causing us to rot internally and keep us from a life of freedom.

A weight is lifted and strength is renewed the moment we speak honest words of truth to God in confession.

If it has been a while since you have sat and talked with God about the sin in your life, there is no better time than the present to start. You can be open and honest with God about anything. He truly is the best listener and loves to hear from you.

I want to leave you with The Passion Translation of the passage we studied today:

“Yahweh, you are my soul’s celebration. How could I ever forget the miracles of kindness you’ve done for me? You kissed my heart with forgiveness, in spite of all I’ve done. You’ve healed me inside and out from every disease. You’ve rescued me from hell and saved my life. You’ve crowned me with love and mercy. You satisfy my every desire with good things. You’ve supercharged my life so that I soar again like a flying eagle in the sky!”

Psalm 103:1-5 TPT

- Jessica Ritchie, Worship Leader