Forget Not [Devotion]

Psalm 103 is a psalm of David that, according to C. H. Spurgeon, was probably written in, “…his later years when he had a higher sense of the preciousness of pardon…” It is a beautiful psalm of praise and I highly encourage you to take the time to read it. We won’t, for the sake of space, include the whole Psalm here but I do want to highlight one point in particular.

Knowing that this was probably written in David’s later life gives it, in my mind, the air of someone who is reflecting on the events of his time on earth. His opening salvo (verses 1-3) includes an incredibly important reminder to his soul and to the souls of all believers.

Psalm 103:1-3, “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 iniquity, who heals all your diseases,”

David tells his soul to Bless the Lord and forget not all His benefits. “Forget not,” that is such an important phrase for believers. God’s word is full of examples of the importance of remembering what God has done. God puts the rainbow in the sky as a reminder of His promise not to destroy the world with water. He institutes Passover so that the Jews will remember their deliverance from Egypt. Joshua is told to pile twelve stones near the sight of the Jordan crossing to remind the people of God’s miracle there. Even in the New Testament we see God institute communion as a remembrance of Christ and His sacrifice.

Here David enters into that spirit. Looking back over the course of his life and the hardships he went through in God’s service, at the painful memories of grievous sins, and the ups and downs of his journey to the throne and his reign as king David sees the faithfulness of God and he tells his soul to remember and praise.

What a potent combination! Remember, Recount, Rejoice! What if we all did that?

At the close of the year many of us will tend to look back over 2018 or even further and evaluate ourselves. We’ll check our optimistic goals of last January against the, often uncomfortable, facts of December and reflect on whether or not our time was well spent, whether things happened the way we planned, whether we are where we thought we would be and so on. And I think, as long as we’re being honest in our evaluations, that can be a good practice.

But what if we started our reflections by mimicking Psalm 103? What if we remembered across the course of the year (or even further) what God has done in our lives. What if we remembered how He’s been faithful, how He has provided, how He has forgiven our sins, and how He has walked with us through the darkest moments we’ve faced being the light we never thought we’d see again. Then what if we recounted His faithfulness, both personal and general, taking time to physically praise with our voice, pen, or computer keyboard the wonders He has done on our behalf. Then with a full heart rejoice in Him reminding our souls to bless His name bringing, like David, that praise to other hearts by sharing what God has done.

So make time to do this. If you’re willing, share what God has done over the last year (or beyond) in the comments below so we can all praise with you! Praise the Lord bless Him from your soul… and forget not.