GOD MADE KNOWN
Opening Prayer
Thank you, Lord God, for the gift of worship, for the privilege that is mine to know you and offer you praise for who you are and for all you have done.
Read PSALM 103
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Psalm 103
Of David.
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.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
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.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
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.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
If someone asked you which is the one characteristic of God you most appreciate, what would you say?Becoming immersed in Hebrews has sometimes so overwhelmed me that I’ve had to take a break. There’s too much of Christ for me to take in. Psalm 103 continues in the same vein, although for the writer, Christ himself has not yet become lower than the angels!
The book of Hebrews begins by declaring that God has spoken in many ways in the past. This psalm reminds us of what God has done for his people long before Christ. Which of these actions of God strike you in particular? We’re also reminded that God communicated directly with Moses (v. 7)—throughout the people’s wanderings in the wilderness, but especially when he was given the law on Mount Sinai. Yet it’s not just about God’s deeds. It is his character that is central— abounding, never-ending love, compassion, and knowledge (e.g., vv. 13, 17).
Just knowing facts about God and his deeds was never sufficient for anyone to begin to ‘know’ God. So finally, he spoke by his Son (Hebrews 1:2). Read through this psalm again. In what ways did Jesus make God known by his words and actions during his earthly life? What about now, seated at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:3)?
Apply
‘No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in the closest relationship with the Father, has made him known’ (John 1:18). Thank God for Jesus!
Closing prayer
Holy God, I praise you for all you are to me and I thank you for your Word that continues to teach me more of who you are and what you have done.
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