Psalm 103:8-12

As I read this Psalm over and over again, it makes real to me the goodness of OUR GOD!!!  And HIS TENDER MERCIES!!!





Psalm 103 (CEB)

 

¹ Let my whole being bless the LORD!
   Let everything inside me bless his holy name!

² Let my whole being bless the LORD
   and never forget all his good deeds:

³ how God forgives all your sins, heals all your sickness,

⁴ saves your life from the pit,
   crowns you with faithful love and compassion,

⁵ and satisfies you with plenty of good things
   so that your youth is made fresh like an eagle’s.
⁶ The LORD works righteousness;
   does justice for all who are oppressed.

⁷ God made his ways known to Moses;
   made his deeds known to the Israelites.




I was reading this psalm on www.biblegateway.com and no matter what version you read this is such an amazing and wonderful psalm.  I really liked everything that I read, but I especially like verse 8.


Verse 8 in the NKJV says, The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.




Here is verse 8 in the CEV.  The LORD is merciful! He is kind and patient, and his love never fails.




And of course, verse 8 in the CEB. The LORD is compassionate and merciful, very patient, and full of faithful love.




The LORD is very patient and compassionate!!!  I am very thankful that the Lord has always been patient with me!!!  HE is so considerate and kind!!!!  I don’t know what I would do without HIM and HIS HELP!!! 



GOD IS SLOW TO ANGER!!! 



And I am so thankful that HE IS!!!  I don’t know what I would do if The Lord was easy or quick to anger!!! 



I know that it takes a lot of patience to deal with me and ALL the other hard-headed, stubborn folks.  We are the kind of folks that have to be told something over and over!!!  We don’t mean to be wrong, but we have stuff stuck in our heads and it doesn’t line up with The WORD!!!



But you see, there are also benefits to being stubborn, as long as you are being Stubborn for GOD!!!  Stubborn enough to believe exactly what HE says in HIS WORD!!!  And that is the ONLY kind of stubborn, I want to be!!!    


Psalm 103:8 (NKJV) The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.



Now look at the NKJV, do you see that it NOT only says that the Lord is merciful and gracious, but then it says that GOD IS ABOUNDING IN MERCY!!!  That means that HIS MERCY IS OVERFLOWING AND IN ABUNDANCE.  His Mercy far exceeds our expectations and is well above and beyond measure!!!




Our GOD is faithful in HIS LOVE for us!!!  HIS LOVE NEVER FAILS!!!  He never gets tired of us!!!  He is truly patient with us!!!  HE ALWAYS LOVES US, even when we don’t love ourselves!!!





Psalm 103:9 (CEB) God won’t always play the judge;
   he won’t be angry forever.




I used to tell folks that if I was GOD, everyone would have been wiped off the face of the earth a long time ago!!!  And I will tell you right now that I am so thankful that God isn’t like me!!!  I am so thankful that HE IS COMPASSIONATE AND KIND!!! 




I am so thankful that GOD ISN’T sitting up in Heaven looking down on us, waiting to squash us like a bug for our sins!!!  Do you know that some folks think of GOD that way??? 




But God says that HE has good plans for us and NOT evil!!!

Jeremiah 29:11 (CEB) I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope.

 

Psalm 103:10 (CEB) He doesn’t deal with us according to our sin or repay us according to our wrongdoing,



If God repaid every evil we have done with evil then we would have long ago been destroyed!!!  Our lives would be in total ruin!!! 



Some folks think that GOD is to blame for ALL their problems!!!  They think that they can’t get ahead because God doesn’t want them to do well for themselves!!!



But even here it tells us that God does NOT give us what we deserve!!!!  And I am so thankful for that!!!



And yet we must remember that we reap what we sow!!!  If you plant it, it is going to come up unless God is merciful!!!  There are instances where GOD in HIS MERCY allows us to walk threw unscathed!!! 




But I was always taught that you better pray for a crop failure!!!!  Because ALL those bad seeds could come up!!!  A lot of our problems are caused by the words we speak!!!  Some of us are constantly speaking evil instead of GOD’S WORD!!!




So, instead of blaming God for ALL your problems, it is time to take a look at what you have sown and what you are saying!!!  If you sow evil, then you get evil; and if you sow good, you get good stuff in return!!!  You words are also seeds, so look at what you are saying and see what your words are bringing to pass!!!





Psalm 103:11 (CEB) because as high as heaven is above the earth,
   that’s how large God’s faithful love is for those who honor him.



You know GOD LOVES US AND HE WANTS GOOD THINGS FOR ALL OF US!!!  HE WANTS ALL OF US TO DO WELL!!! 




Psalm 103:12 (CEB) As far as east is from west—
   that’s how far God has removed our sin from us.



I am so thankful that GOD HAS BEEN SO MERCIFUL, AND LOVING AND KIND TO ME!!!  Especially when I know that I did NOT deserve it!!!




Do you know that God will also have mercy on you???  All you have to do is ask HIM to help you!!!




Psalm 46:1 (KJV) God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.