Psalm 103 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 103 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Verse 2Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits-
Verse 3who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
Verse 4who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
Verse 5who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Verse 6The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.
Verse 7He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
Verse 8The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Verse 9He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.
Verse 10He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
Verse 11For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
Verse 12as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.
Verse 13As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
Verse 14For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.
Verse 15As for mortals, their days are like grass; they flourish like a flower of the field;
Verse 16for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
Verse 17But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,
Verse 18to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
Verse 19The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
Verse 20Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word.
Verse 21Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will.
Verse 22Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Devotion
One of the common clichés of social development is "Give a person a fish, and they eat for a day, but teach them to fish, and they eat for a lifetime." While there are kernels of truth in this statement, in reality the concept falls far too short. We are led to wonder more broadly, "But who has access to the pond?" In other words, those who work for "righteousness and justice for all the oppressed" are committed not only to relief and development, but also to the important and enduring ministry of advocacy.
As we receive the abundant grace and sustained presence of God, who is "slow to anger" and "abounding in love," we respond with love in action that calls for justice in the relationships and structures of society. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., "True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring." In other words, the praise of the Psalmist is intended not merely to anesthetize us from the pains of daily existence, but also to remind us of our responsibility to advocate alongside our neighbors in the pursuit of justice and peace. As a result, we are called not only to address the various needs of the present moment, but also to restructure the edifice which generated such need in the first place.
Prayer
Gracious God, as we celebrate the ways you comfort and confront, may we be tormented by the ideal, yet set free by your grace. Amen.