Psalm 103:12-22 “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Like a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him. For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone. Its place remembers it no more. But the LORD’s loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him, his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant, to those who remember to obey his precepts. The LORD has established his throne in the heavens. His kingdom rules over all. Praise the LORD, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfil his word, obeying the voice of his word. Praise the LORD, all you armies of his, you servants of his, who do his pleasure. Praise the LORD, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion. Praise the LORD, my soul!”

Our creation (literally from “dust”) and our mortality (we will die), as well as our unrememberable nature, don’t matter to God. He is the King, and He knows our weaknesses and is willing to forgive them and have compassion on us! We, however, have a part to play. We have to acknowledge Him, obey Him, fear Him, and praise Him. In fact, we should not only praise Him ourselves, but we should also call on the rest of creation to join us in our song!

Revelations 19:5-6 “A voice came from the throne, saying, ‘Give praise to our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, the small and the great!’ I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!’ “

Did you catch what it said about angels? They are His ministering spirits, but they actually have a role to play in our lives as well!

Hebrews 1:14 “Aren’t they all serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?”

For additional worship: Holy, Holy, Holy (Reawaken Hymns)

Psalm 103:6-11 “The LORD executes righteous acts, and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the children of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness. He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness towards those who fear him.”

The Lord is righteous and looks out for His people. He has given us guidance through His Word, and His Word reveals His deeds to us. He is merciful, gracious, and loving. Even when we disappoint Him, He still loves us and cares for us. He gave the Israelites the sacrificial system as a temporary covering for their sins, but He gives us Jesus! Jesus is the one who takes away the penalty for our iniquities and makes payment for our sins. God’s loving kindness towards His people is amazing!

Psalm 40:4-5 “Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of his. Give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”

Hebrews 9:11-12 “But Christ having come as a high priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption.”

For additional worship: Lovingkindness (Redman, Boswell, Papa, Getty)

Psalm 103:1-5 “By David. Praise the LORD, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name! Praise the LORD, my soul, and don’t forget all his benefits, who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

There are some that want to take this as literally as possible. God will cure me, save me, and give me what I want! However, we should first recognize that this is attributed to David, and God did do many of these things for him during His lifetime. Second, perhaps these aren’t meant to be taken extremely literally. I don’t think David ever got physically younger as a result of his relationship with God! Third, we need to understand that we do have these things already, albeit spiritually. He has forgiven our sins. He has redeemed us from death. He has promised us a future without sickness or sorrow. He has given us His Spirit so that we can experience His presence, His love, His joy, and His peace. And finally, how miserable are we if we focus on what we don’t have, instead of praising God for what He has already done for us!

For additional worship: Bless the Lord, O My Soul (Sovereign Grace Music)

Psalm 102:25-28 “Of old, you laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will endure. Yes, all of them will wear out like a garment. You will change them like a cloak, and they will be changed. But you are the same. Your years will have no end. The children of your servants will continue. Their offspring will be established before you.”

Although the heavens aren’t eternal, God’s faithfulness is, and He has decreed that His children from all generations will inhabit the new heavens and new earth with Him!

2 Peter 3:10-13 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

Hebrews 1:8-12 “But of the Son he says…’You, Lord, in the beginning, laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the works of your hands. They will perish, but you continue. They all will grow old like a garment does. You will roll them up like a mantle, and they will be changed; but you are the same. Your years won’t fail.’ ”

For additional worship: Great God! How Infinite Art Thou (Isaac Watts)

Psalm 102:23-24 “He weakened my strength along the course. He shortened my days. I said, ‘My God, don’t take me away in the middle of my days. Your years are throughout all generations.’ “

The cry is something like this: “Lord, I know that you’re going to do something good, and even though I know I don’t deserve it, please let me live long enough to see it!”

That’s the cry of someone who expects God to restore His city and temple, and then call all nations to it. God did that in a unique way. He brought His people back to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple, but all nations were called to Him through something (or better yet, someone) different. The glory of the rebuilt temple was because it’s God literally stood in the midst of it!

Haggai 2:9 “‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of Armies; ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ says the LORD of Armies.”

So, while there may be times in our lives when we cry out to God to spare us so that we can continue to see and to be a part of His work here on the earth, we also understand that, through Jesus Christ, we have an even greater inheritance waiting for us. Therefore, we shouldn’t fear death! Instead, we recognize that we aren’t everything we’re supposed to be until we are ushered into His presence.

1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God. It is not yet revealed what we will be; but we know that when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him just as he is.”

For additional worship: Christ is Mine Forevermore (CityAlight)

Psalm 102:12-22 “But you, LORD, will remain forever; your renown endures to all generations. You will arise and have mercy on Zion, for it is time to have pity on her. Yes, the set time has come. For your servants take pleasure in her stones, and have pity on her dust. So the nations will fear the LORD’s name, all the kings of the earth your glory. For the LORD has built up Zion. He has appeared in his glory. He has responded to the prayer of the destitute, and has not despised their prayer. This will be written for the generation to come. A people which will be created will praise the LORD, for he has looked down from the height of his sanctuary. From heaven, the LORD saw the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoner, to free those who are condemned to death, that men may declare the LORD’s name in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem, when the peoples are gathered together, the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.”

God has had pity on us. His greatest work (salvation) causes us to take pleasure in Him and magnify His name. We declare His glory in the hope that more people and future generations will come to know Him. And one day, all who know Him from all people, places, and times will gather together to praise and serve Him!

Psalm 61:1-3 “The Lord GOD’s Spirit is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.”

For additional worship: Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken (Olive Tree Hymns)

Psalm 102:1-11 “A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, LORD! Let my cry come to you. Don’t hide your face from me in the day of my distress. Turn your ear to me. Answer me quickly in the day when I call. For my days consume away like smoke. My bones are burnt as a torch. My heart is blighted like grass, and withered, for I forget to eat my bread. By reason of the voice of my groaning, my bones stick to my skin. I am like a pelican of the wilderness. I have become as an owl of the waste places. I watch, and have become like a sparrow that is alone on the housetop. My enemies reproach me all day. Those who are mad at me use my name as a curse. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mixed my drink with tears, because of your indignation and your wrath; for you have taken me up and thrown me away. My days are like a long shadow. I have withered like grass.”

There is a simple honesty and understanding in the Psalms that we don’t necessarily match today. There are many today that like to declare God would never do anything bad to us. After all, we’re His children! We’re His anointed! We’re His priests! He would never let anything negative happen to His people!

The Psalmist disagrees. He knows that God allows bad things to happen, and sometimes God decrees that bad things will happen: “because of Your indignation and Your wrath; for You have taken me up and thrown me away.” He does it for a purpose. His purpose. He’s molding us to be like Jesus or perhaps trying to bring us back to a right relationship with Him. That’s why it’s so important that we cry out to Him when we experience suffering.

Romans 5:3-5 “Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

For additional worship: Rejoice in the Lord (The Hamilton Family)

Psalm 101:1-8 “A Psalm by David. I will sing of loving kindness and justice. To you, LORD, I will sing praises. I will be careful to live a blameless life. When will you come to me? I will walk within my house with a blameless heart. I will set no vile thing before my eyes. I hate the deeds of faithless men. They will not cling to me. A perverse heart will be far from me. I will have nothing to do with evil. I will silence whoever secretly slanders his neighbor. I won’t tolerate one who is arrogant and conceited. My eyes will be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me. He who walks in a perfect way, he will serve me. He who practices deceit won’t dwell within my house. He who speaks falsehood won’t be established before my eyes. Morning by morning, I will destroy all the wicked of the land, to cut off all the workers of iniquity from the LORD’s city.”

David makes a solemn promise to God here. He won’t engage in any wickedness or tolerate it in others. He will do His best to make sure the kingdom follows God, even to the point of destroying those who don’t. In reality, he didn’t always keep His promise, either about the kingdom or himself! But his heart was in the right place, and the cry of his heart to follow God should be ours as well.

1 Peter 1:15-16 “but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior, because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ ”

For additional worship: O For a Heart to Praise my God (Charles Wesley)

O for a heart to praise my God,
a heart from sin set free,
a heart that always feels Thy blood
so freely shed for me.

A heart resigned, submissive, meek,
my great Redeemer’s throne,
where only Christ is heard to speak,
where Jesus reigns alone.

A humble, lowly, contrite heart,
believing, true, and clean,
which neither life nor death can part
from Christ who dwells within.

A heart in ev’ry thought renewed
and full of love divine,
perfect and right and pure and good,
a copy, Lord, of Thine.

Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart;
come quickly from above;
write Thy new name upon my heart,
Thy new best name of Love.