One of my favorite internet videos is a compilation of short clips of fathers jumping into action to keep kids from getting hurt. It’s usually a mild form of danger that the child is in, but I still find it inspiring to see the protective instinct kick in when the dad snatches the little boy off the bike just as the boy is about to crash into a tree. Even more inspiring is the footage of groups of people in a public place jumping into action and risking their own lives to help rescue a stranger from serious danger. I think it’s good for us to picture God’s salvation like that on an even greater scale. In Jesus Christ, God jumps into action to rescue our souls from eternal danger.
When we consider the greatness of God’s salvation, how can we do anything other than bless the Lord with all that is in us? Blessing the Lord for our salvation also helps us remember that salvation is an ongoing process. We were saved in Jesus’s death and resurrection two thousand years ago, we were saved when we personally responded to God in faith, and we will be saved ultimately in the new creation when we join the Lord in resurrection life.
Until that day, we remind ourselves, “Don’t forget a single blessing!”
Read Psalm 103 together.
Psalm 103 (The Message)
O my soul, bless God.
From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
Don't forget a single blessing!
He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.
God makes everything come out right;
he puts victims back on their feet.
He showed Moses how he went about his work,
opened up his plans to all Israel.
God is sheer mercy and grace;
not easily angered, he’s rich in love.
He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold,
nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve,
nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth,
so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children,
God feels for those who fear him.
He knows us inside and out,
keeps in mind that we’re made of mud.
Men and women don’t live very long;
like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,
But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,
leaving nothing to show they were here.
God’s love, though, is ever and always,
eternally present to all who fear him,
Making everything right for them and their children
as they follow his Covenant ways
and remember to do whatever he said.
God has set his throne in heaven;
he rules over us all. He’s the King!
So bless God, you angels,
ready and able to fly at his bidding,
quick to hear and do what he says.
Bless God, all you armies of angels,
alert to respond to whatever he wills.
Bless God, all creatures, wherever you are—
everything and everyone made by God.
And you, O my soul, bless God!
Discussion questions
- We often think of God blessing us, but this psalm prompts us to bless God. What do you think it means to bless God?
- Salvation is larger and more holistic than how we often think of it. What aspects of God’s salvation stand out to you in this psalm (vv. 3–5)?
- In what ways has God blessed you and stirred in you a desire to bless God in return?
- Notice the ways God’s character and God’s actions are described in verses 6–19. Which of these characteristics or actions did you need to be reminded of today?
- This psalm ends where it begins: with the call to bless the God who saves us. But this time the call extends beyond ourselves. When you praise God, do you picture yourself and your community joining this cosmic chorus of praise? What would it mean for you to keep this picture in mind as you bless God?
Read this psalm one more time, pausing at many points within the psalm to allow for spontaneous expressions of praise or petitions for God’s salvation to come into specific circumstances.
This devotional is part of a series of devotionals created for worship teams. You can find the whole series here.
