Good morning! I hope you are experiencing the blessings of God today. We will focus our attention on Psalm 103:1-5:
Of David. Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (NIV)
I began, as always, by reading the commentaries at BibleHub.com. (1) There were great insights from many of the theologians provided. None, however, can stand up against the in-depth details of Charles H. Spurgeon. After the teaser they offered on the website, I went “old school” and opened my copy of The Treasury of David. There are four volumes, but I only have two. I picked them up for twenty-five dollars each from Abesbooks.com, and if you love the Psalms as much as I do, I would recommend purchasing them.
More Than Lip Service
David commands us to praise the Lord. Most Christian’s I know, some who don’t even enjoy going to church, enjoy praise music. They may fall asleep during a sermon, but they enjoy singing hymns, spirituals, and modern choruses. I have attended many contemporary concerts by Christian artists, and the people behave as if they are having a profound religious experience. I’m delighted if this is really true.
However, if we look at their lives outside of the concert setting, we often encounter a problem. They may praise the Lord with their mouths, and they may even serve Him at their local church. Truly committed individuals may even tithe to the church. But in their soul, their “inmost being,” they are holding a large part of their lives back.
“I can’t praise Him at work; I would get fired!” “I used to praise Him among my friends, but they called me a Jesus freak, so I stopped.” “I don’t think we should force our beliefs on others; it works for me, but I let people be whoever they want to be.”
If these sound familiar, I would ask, is your praise soul-deep, or just lip service?
Remembering His Benefits
Praise was so important, Spurgeon points out, that David repeats it in verse two. The Lord gave us not just His very best; He gave us His all. If we offer Him anything less, this is an injustice. If that is not motivation enough, the psalmist says, think of everything He’s done for you (v 2).
I have heard many testimonies, and most Christians will tell you what their life was like before they trusted Jesus. Personally, I doubt I would be alive today if not for my Savior. But it is more than just life. It is that fresh hope that arises every morning. Each day, knowing He has me here for a reason. Knowing I matter because I matter to Him. Beginning every day as a journey to discover what He has in store for me.
None of that would have been in my life if He had not first forgiven my sins (v 3). That is why the first act toward salvation is admitting I was a wretch and confessing those sins to Him. We can’t heal the body, Spurgeon surmises, if we don’t cure the disease. The disease in all of life is sin. It came into the world through Adam, and until we eradicate its governance of our lives, it will have lordship over our minds and bodies. Any illness or mental struggles we have derived from that place (v 3).
We’re overflowing with gratitude for overcoming our addictions, thanks to God. This is great! Yet, we still have not reached that soul-deep praise David is calling for.
A Fullness of Life
Because, not only does He pull us from the pit and restore us to health (v 4), He blesses us. All the love and happiness, the mended relationships, the success and prosperity we have known were from Him (v 5).
This is where many of us struggle. We like to admit, “He cleaned us up and made us a better person.” Then, we—being this better person—took it from there to become who we are. This is wrong. He restored us and He blessed us with compassion. He brought love into a life that didn’t even know what love was.
Then, because He knows we will be “satiated but not satisfied,” as Spurgeon wrote, He gives us the only thing that can satisfy the soul (v 5). He comes into our lives and dwells with us, guiding us, comforting us, bringing peace in a world without it.
Are you holding back? Have you given the Lord soul-praise—worshipping Him with all you are?
Tomorrow, we will read Psalms 105-106.
Bibliography
BibleHub.com. n.d. “Psalms 103:1 Commentaries.” Accessed June 19, 2025. https://biblehub.com/commentaries/psalms/103-1.htm.
Spurgeon, Charles H. Vol. 2, pgs 275-277. The Treasury of David. London: Passmore & Alabaster.