As we look at our hope in life, we see that hope comes from God’s faithfulness. Often in our celebration of the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper we hear the faithfulness of God from the words of Psalm 103. Take time to contemplate Psalm 103 in solitude, or with family.
1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Consider these questions:
- Read all of Psalm 103—a song of remembrance. What words or phrases particularly strike you? Why?
- What helps you remember the goodness of God?
- If someone asked you to tell them about “all [God’s] benefits” in your life, which benefits would you remember? What stands out in your past and in your family history?
- Recall or tell about a time when God “crown[ed] you with love and compassion” or “satisfie[d] your desires with good things.”
*These questions come from the CRCNA Faith Practices Project: https://www.crcna.org/FaithPracticesProject/remembering/remembering-scripture-readings