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, 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.
The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
In these days of political turmoil and culture upheaval we need comfort and hope. This Psalm of David provides such great comfort and encouragement for all of us. We, at times, forget that Almighty God is in control of all things, and not the various governments and rulers who claim authority over us.
The Lord God Almighty sustains us with His steadfast love as manifested in and through Jesus. And yet at times, we may feel tired, full of doubt, despair, and guilt. Many these days chose to suppress that guilt over sin thinking they have solved their problems and can live carefree lives unfettered by the Law of God. In this way they fail to attain the true freedom that comes from the mercy and grace of God’s forgiveness through Jesus.
God delights to forgive. He reveals Himself to all men so that all may know what He expects of them through Jesus our Savior and Lord. Daily we see His blessings on the righteous and wicked alike as we are given health and delivered from a myriad of illnesses, though, obviously, not all. Daily we are delivered from danger and peril without a thought on our part.
The greatest gift we have from God, the greatest comfort is Jesus, Who, out of love, suffered the penalty due us for our acts of wickedness and selfishness. Our salvation is the greatest of His blessings for He extends mercy to those who deserve otherwise. God will forgive all those who repent and turn to Him. Repentance insures that the righteous will be blessed with an eternity of joy and peace dwelling in the presence of Yahweh.
We believers then ought to extend forgiveness to those who, in our opinion, do not deserve it. We have been forgiven an eternal debt. Why then should we let others carry their debt to us which is minor in comparison? If we think otherwise then we should consider what would happen to us if God decided to treat us with justice according to our deeds. In love, we are called to do unto others as we would want them to do unto us. Unless a heart is so corrupted, cold and perverse, this means we all want mercy, love and forgiveness.