How good are you at remembering?
What are some of your favorite memories? We have this psalm for a couple of reasons: (1) David is reminding himself to remember all God had done in his life. He is praying truths about what God had accomplished in his life. (2) God guided David to write this to help us remember and be thankful for all God has done in our lives.
“Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise His holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me.” Psalm 103:1-2 (NLT). What helps you remember? And why is it so easy for us to forget? Here are two key lessons about learning to remember spiritually.
Remind yourself of what the Lord has done for you
When we experience pain, sorrow or suffering, it is easy to forget what God is doing right now in our lives, and what ways He has worked and blessed in the past.
“The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. Psalm 103:6-8 (NLT). David takes himself back to a pivotal moment in the past. It is not when he faced Goliath with a sling and some stones. In fact, it is not even an event from his lifetime. David references when the Lord victoriously and powerfully and decisively worked to redeem His people out of Egyptian slavery. He focuses on the moments when God demonstrated how He kept His covenant and showed His love.
In our fight to remember all God does and has done, we start by calling to mind in general what the Lord has done “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!” Psalm 103:3-5 (NLT), but we also look back in history to see the work of God as He redeems throughout history. Then we look above our circumstances and remember. We remember what God has done in history and for us.
Hold fast to a specific truth about the Lord
In Psalm 103, David after reminding himself of who God is and what God has done, in as He redeemed in the past—he summarizes and latches on to a specific truth about God. “The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.” Psalm 103:8 (NLT).
Psalm 103:8 is a quote from Exodus 34:6. David is looking at all the implications of what God has done and does do. God is slow to anger, He shows mercy and grace, and He gives love that is steadfast and unchanging. “For His unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him.” Psalm 103:11-13 (NLT). Sin has been cast as far as the east is from the west, God’s compassion will not fail.
As David remembers and prays to remember, David’s heart is moved. He is moved toward gratitude. “Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve Him and do His will! Praise the Lord, everything He has created, everything in all His kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord.” Psalm 103:20-22 (NLT).
When you talk to yourself, when you stop and remember–do you remind yourself of what God has done for you in Jesus Christ? Do you have specific Bible verses that you use to prompt your soul? When your days are dark or bright as possible, have your soul bless the Lord. Find specific Bible verses by which you can fight the fight of faith–verses like: “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matt. 28:20 (NLT); “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with My victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (NLT); “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 (NLT), “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (NLT).
“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” Colossians 3:16 (NLT)
