Remember His Mercy

We are forgetful people.

We forget where we put our keys, what we walked into the room to get, and sometimes even the password we just reset. But the most dangerous kind of forgetfulness is not when we forget small details. It is when we forget God’s mercy.

Psalm 103 begins with David preaching to his own soul: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” David is not waiting for his emotions to catch up. He is calling his heart to remember what is true.

He says, “forget not all his benefits.” Then he starts naming them. The Lord forgives. He heals. He redeems. He crowns His people with steadfast love and mercy. He satisfies. He renews.

That is not shallow optimism. David knows the real world. Psalm 103 speaks of sin, disease, oppression, weakness, dust, and death. But it also speaks louder of mercy. God does not deal with His people according to their sins. He removes transgressions as far as the east is from the west. He shows compassion toward his children like a father. He remembers that we are dust.

What a gift.

Some of us live as if God is technically forgiving but constantly disappointed. Psalm 103 corrects that picture. The Lord is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” He is not stingy with mercy. He abounds in it.

For Christians, we see the fullest picture of this mercy in Jesus Christ. At the cross, Jesus was treated according to our sins so we could be treated according to His righteousness. He wore the crown of thorns so we could be crowned with steadfast love and mercy. He entered judgment so we could receive grace.

This week, do not let shame preach louder than the cross. Do not let suffering make you forget His compassion. Do not let the noise of life drown out the song of grace.

Take time to remember. Write down the benefits of the Lord. Speak them out loud. Share them with your family. Encourage someone else with the mercy that has carried you.

At Calvary, we want to carry hope, build intentional relationships, pursue Jesus, and make disciples. Psalm 103 reminds us where that begins. It begins with a soul that remembers mercy and responds in worship.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul.”