Day #317 - The Benefits
The Presence - A Devotional for living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder
“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 iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Psalms 103:1-5 NKJV
What age do you arrive at when you care about benefits?
As a young man I didn’t care too much about my benefits at my different jobs. But then as I was about to get married my Mom informed me that I would be paying for my own surgery I had a few months before our wedding. Then benefits started becoming really important and even more important when we had a baby shortly after our first year of marriage. Your benefit package can make a big difference. Dealing with insurance companies is one of my least favorite things to do in this adult life. Getting the right benefits from a trustworthy source goes a long way to help you when you need it most and give you more peace of mind.
God has a benefit package that is out of this world! And He is the most trustworthy source as our Provider of these benefits. David starts Psalm 103 bursting with praise and thanksgiving. “Bless the Lord, O my soul.” Sometimes you have to tell your soul to choose worship and thanksgiving when things are tough. An important part of “the Presence” is learning to praise Him even when you don’t feel like it. But in Psalm 103 it seems that David is overflowing with praise when He begins to think of all the benefits of the Lord!
He is blessing the Lord for the benefits of being the One who: forgives all of our iniquities (sins), heals all our diseases, redeems our life from destruction, crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies, and who satisfies our mouth with good things so our youth is renewed like the eagles. God has a promise for every problem. Whatever we are facing we can come to God for His redemption and His intervention in our lives.
Even when we are waiting for a breakthrough, we can choose to bless His name because He is the source of all that is good. Some have an easy time to believe that He forgives our sins, but He also heals us and redeems us from destruction. He is a promise giver and a promise keeper. David was seeing ahead to the New Covenant promises of the Lord Jesus! He cares for every need of our lives. He is worthy to be blessed! All good things come from His hand. Bless His holy name!
Lord, I bless Your holy name! You are my Savior , my Healer and my Redeemer! You satisfy my mouth with good things and You renew my youth like an eagle. You are my Source of all that is good. Thank You for the way You have love me. May all that is within me bless You! In your name, amen!
Thank You Lord Jesus for the benefit of Your Presence every morning and every evening as I look forward to encountering You every moment of every day!!! You are AWESOME!!!