Psalm 103:2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.

When I get to this Psalm I’m in real trouble when it comes to choosing a particular verse, because every line in it speaks to me so strongly. Faced with that choice, however, I’ll let this verse stand in for all the rest. God’s love, grace, and mercy toward mankind are indeed past knowing, they are so great. That’s why we have to receive revelation of them by the Holy Spirit, to go along with our daily experience of them. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, we overlook so much of what God does for us, and even when we do recognize it, all too often we turn around and forget about it, as this verse speaks of. That hurts us far more that it hurts God. When our hearts are focused on recognizing God’s hand in our lives and thanking and praising Him for it, we are filled with faith, hope, joy, and love. That’s certainly a good way to live! David often addresses himself, as he does here, reminding himself of what he already knows, but tends to forget. That’s not a bad idea. If we all lived up to the best that we know, then the world would be a delightful place indeed!

In my own experience, Christian songs of all sorts are a great help in this area – hymns, choruses, anthems, and all of it. I was blessed to grow up in a very musical family, so I have a huge stock of good music to draw on, and I keep adding to it all the time. There’s a reason the Bible speaks so many times of “Sing a new song to the Lord!” The old songs are good and valuable, but songs that are new to us provide a fresh look at eternal truths that bear repeating. I have experienced so much of God’s goodness that I ought to be totally at peace in Him all the time, but I still have moments – like yesterday – in which I let go of the peace that is available. That is so foolish! Just as David says here, I need to praise the Lord from the depths of my being and not forget any of what He has done for me, or what He has promised to me for eternity. If I will focus on that, then minor irritations will seem trivial indeed, and I will be a fountain of peace and joy for all around me, for their blessing and God’s glory.

Father, thank You for getting me through the day yesterday, in spite of myself. Thank You for this conference, and the opportunity to minister here. Most of these people don’t know You personally, and I am being given the privilege of pointing their hearts to You. That is a high honor indeed! I ask for Your anointing, not just in the formal meetings but in every interaction, so that every word that comes from my mouth may be Yours, filled with Your truth and love, breaking down the lies of the enemy and setting the captives free, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!