Read
(By David.)
The Lord's Wonderful Love
1With all my heart
I praise the Lord,
and with all that I am
I praise his holy name!
2With all my heart
I praise the Lord!
I will never forget
how kind he has been.
3The Lord forgives our sins,
heals us when we are sick,
4and protects us from death.
His kindness and love
are a crown on our heads.
5Each day that we live,
he provides for our needs
and gives us the strength
of a young eagle.
6For all who are mistreated,
the Lord brings justice.
7He taught his Law to Moses
and showed all Israel
what he could do.
8 The Lord is merciful!
He is kind and patient,
and his love never fails.
9The Lord won't always be angry
and point out our sins;
10he doesn't punish us
as our sins deserve.
11How great is God's love for all
who worship him?
Greater than the distance
between heaven and earth!
12How far has the Lord taken
our sins from us?
Farther than the distance
from east to west!
13Just as parents are kind
to their children,
the Lord is kind
to all who worship him,
14because he knows
we are made of dust.
15We humans are like grass
or wild flowers
that quickly bloom.
16But a scorching wind blows,
and they quickly wither
to be forever forgotten.
17The Lord is always kind
to those who worship him,
and he keeps his promises
to their descendants
18who faithfully obey him.
19God has set up his kingdom
in heaven, and he rules
the whole creation.
20All of you mighty angels,
who obey God's commands,
come and praise your Lord!
21All of you thousands
who serve and obey God,
come and praise your Lord!
22All of God's creation
and all that he rules,
come and praise your Lord!
With all my heart
I praise the Lord!
Reflect
If you ever want to grasp the breadth and depth of God’s love for you in one sitting, just read Psalm 103. David can’t contain his joy or gladness of spirit. “With all my heart I praise the LORD, and with all that I am I praise his holy name!” he begins.
Without pausing for breath David continues to describe who God is and what he does. The Lord forgives, heals, protects, provides, gives us strength, brings justice, teaches, shows what he can do, never fails, is kind, keeps his promises, rules his whole creation.
It’s not enough though to give intellectual assent to who God is and what he does. And it takes more than passion to worship God with all of who you are.
David knew failure intimately – remember Bathsheba? In the face of Nathan’s prophecy, David had the courage to immediately confess his sordid acts as sins against God first. He knew, with equal intimacy, the full measure of God’s kindness: “ . . . he knows we are made of dust. We humans are like grass or wild flowers that quickly bloom. But a scorching wind blows and they quickly wither to be forever forgotten,” he writes in verses 14-16. In failure, David reaches his own limits and only there, in that place, can he rest and consider the vastness of God’s love for him – a king who thought he could get away with murder.
The prophet Isaiah picks up Moses’ teaching. If the people refuse to get caught up with their own concerns, and honour God by setting apart space and time for him, then they will know joy beyond their wildest imaginings (Isaiah 58:13-14).
When we fail, we come to the end of ourselves and we discover that God knows our feeble frames. In that place of profound rest – we are known and still loved by a holy God – how can we ever hold back our hearts?
Respond
Abba-Father, you are good. Help us to remember your goodness when we fail, so that in our confession and in our worship, we may give you all of who we are – without reservation, without shame – and thus find rest. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Renee James
Renee James is the communications director for Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec (CBWOQ), and the editor of its award-winning magazine live. An award-winning freelance writer, she’s been published in Faith Today and has been a regular contributor to Leadership Journal and Today’s Christian Woman both published by Christianity Today International (CTI). She's also been a regular contributor to Gifted For Leadership, CTI’s leadership blog written by and for women leaders.