Psalm 103 – Five Benefits of the Kingdom you need to know about

I love the book of Psalms. The Psalms teach us about the nature of God, how He relates to us, His desires for us, and His promises to us. The Psalms teach us how to pray, praise, and worship our Creator in all seasons of life; in seasons of blessing and seasons of struggle. The Psalms have been a tremendous source of encouragement and comfort to me throughout my life and I have no doubt they will be to you as well.

Psalm 103:1-5 contains a powerful passage, rich with promises. Let’s read it and examine it together.

Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all His benefits.
He pardons all your iniquities.
He heals all your diseases.
He redeems your life from the pit.
He crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
He satisfies your mouth with good things so your youth is renewed like the eagles.
-Psalm 103:1-5

Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.

David was the greatest King in the history of Israel. He was a shepherd who was anointed to be the second King of Israel. David was a man after God’s own heart and he wrote at least 73 of the 150 Psalms.

So what does David mean when he says, “Bless the Lord O my soul, all that is within me bless His holy name.”

David is willing himself to bless the Lord, to praise and glorify God. Praising God doesn’t happen naturally or automatically. We have to exercise our will over our feelings. There are many times when you don’t feel like praising the Lord, but you can will yourself to do it. Praising God is a willful act of humility. And that’s what David is doing here.

How do you bless the Lord?

With your mouth.

Just pray something like this out loud, “Lord I bless you. I praise you. I honor you. I worship you. You are Holy. You are worthy of praise. You are the creator of heaven and earth. I acknowledge you and I submit to you today…”

Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all His benefits
There are benefits to being in the Kingdom of God and it’s important to know what they are.

I have a credit card that gives me airline miles when I use it. That’s the main benefit of the card. But I was clicking around in my credit card app the other day and I realized that there are a bunch of other benefits that come with the card: discounts on hotels and car rentals, discounts at some retail stores, and even a travel voucher for someone to fly with me for free.

But I haven’t enjoyed any of these benefits yet, because I didn’t know about them and I didn’t claim them.

This is why David says “Forget not ALL His benefits.” You need to know what ALL the benefits of the Kingdom of God are so you can claim them!

So what are the benefits? Well, there are six benefits listed right here in this Psalm.

First Benefit: He pardons all your iniquities
Iniquities are sins, doing wrong, and in some cases doing nothing instead of doing the right thing.

Notice it says ALL your iniquities. All means all. God is willing to forgive every sinful thought and action you’ve ever done, and every mistake you’ve made, and pardon you from judgment and eternal punishment.

To claim this benefit, you have to confess your sins to Him and repent, which means stop and turn away from your sins.

Psalm 103:12 says “As far as the East is from the West. That’s how far He removes our transgressions from us” when we confess our sins to Him.

We all have a warehouse full of sins from our past and it’s impossible to confess them all, but start with the ones you are convicted about, the sinful thoughts and actions that are active in your life right now like pride, envy, jealousy, anger, bitterness, lust, and sexual sin…

Acknowledge that you are guilty of a lifetime of sin and that you need forgiveness. And trust that God will cover the rest.

As you get closer to Him He will bring other specific sins to your mind to confess. He will refine you over time. Ask Him to show you what you need to confess and He will. You claim the benefit of forgiveness by confessing and repentance.

Thank you Lord, that you forgive all my sins and pardon all my iniquities.

If you have no idea what sin is, start with the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. And then read how Jesus puts a finer point on sin in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5.

Second Benefit: He heals all your diseases.
There’s that “all” word again. He heals ALL your diseases. That’s a promise. Sometimes healing is immediate, sometimes healing takes time. Claim this benefit! God’s Word is true. Trust that His timing is perfect and continue to thank Him for healing every day and expect it to happen.

Thank you, Lord, that you heal all my diseases.

Third benefit: He redeems your life from the pit (of hell).
Rejection of God, rebellion against Him, and sin put you on a destructive path that will eventually destroy you. “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)

But when you confess your sins and repent, God redeems you. He takes you off of that path and puts you on the righteous path, the path of blessing, honor, protection, and peace.

Think about it like this. A winning lottery ticket is worthless until it is redeemed. When it is redeemed, it is exchanged for a reward.

God redeems your worthless life for a new life, with benefits and rewards on earth and in heaven, and most importantly, an intimate eternal relationship with Him.

Thank you, Lord, that you redeem my life from the pit.

Fourth Benefit: He crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
He crowns you, like royalty, with lovingkindness and tender mercies. Isn’t that wonderful?

The reason that you are still alive and not in hell being punished for your sins, is that your Heavenly Father has been loving, kind, patient, and merciful toward you your whole life. Even when you rejected Him.

Some people have the impression that God is just looking to punish us whenever we screw up. But that’s not true. In Psalms 103 verses 8 and 10 it says “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy… He has not dealt with us according to our sins.”

God’s love and mercy have been with you your whole life. In Psalm 103:11 it says “For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.”

Note: Fear doesn’t mean being terrified of God, it means reverence and obedience.

Thank you, Lord, that You crown me with lovingkindness and tender mercies.

Fifth Benefit: He satisfies your mouth with good things so your youth is renewed like the eagles.
Some translations say He satisfies your years with good things. I love that too. The point is that God continually provides good things for you.

Your Heavenly Father will provide everything you need to prosper in life and thrive in health and healing.

This verse changed the way I pray before meals. I like to say “Thank you Lord that you satisfy my mouth with good things so that my youth is renewed as the eagles.”

Trust that the food you eat will nourish you, sustain you, and help restore you to vibrant health. And that He will continue to bring good things into your life.

Thank you, Lord, that you satisfy my mouth and my life with good things so that my youth is renewed like the eagles.

There’s a similar promise to this in Isaiah 40:31. “They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings as eagles. They will walk and not be weary. They will run and not faint.”

Waiting on the Lord implies being patient, not trying to force your way into health and healing. But it’s also not just twiddling your thumbs and doing nothing.

Waiting also means drawing near to Him, staying close to Him, and trusting that He will lead you, guide you, provide for you, and fulfill His promise to you to renew your strength and restore your health. This could be through a miracle, through changes you make to your life, through medical intervention, or all of the above.

Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all His benefits.
He pardons all your iniquities.
He heals all your diseases.
He redeems your life from the pit.
He crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
He satisfies your mouth with good things so your youth is renewed like the eagles.
-Psalm 103:1-5

Psalm 103:1-5 is a powerful promise-rich Psalm. Read it out loud, memorize it, confess it over your life daily, and claim these benefits, which are for everyone who is in the Kingdom of God.

How to become a citizen of the Kingdom of God
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me.” (John 14:6)

Jesus is the door into the Kingdom, He said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9)

“For God so loved the world that he sent his only son that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Jesus paid the penalty for ALL of your sins on the cross. He rose from the grave and He is seated at the right hand of the Father ruling as King. And we will all stand before Him one day and give account for our lives.

“Whoever will call on the name of the Lord (that’s Jesus) will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Salvation is God’s free gift to you. It’s a benefit that was paid for by the blood and suffering of Jesus. You can’t earn it by being a good person, you simply have to receive it and thank Him for it.

Humble yourself and pray something like this: Jesus, I surrender to you as my King, my Lord, and my savior. I repent of my sins. Thank you for forgiving me. I want to follow your commands and obey you. Thank you for saving me. I trust in You.

Next steps for a new believer. Start reading the Bible and learn God’s Word. I suggest starting with the New Testament. Get to know God through Jesus, and what it means to be a part of His kingdom and His promises for you. Read the Psalms too! And find a local church to join. Look for a church with sincere vibrant worship, that teaches from the Bible, a church brimming with life and joy, filled with people who love Jesus and are excited about serving Him. You will know it when you find it. Then get plugged in and be discipled so that your faith will grow.

Love,

Chris
…

Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan for Healing Naturally Get it on Amazon here, or anywhere books are sold.

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(((c)))