TALK TO YOURSELF
Opening Prayer
‘Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name’ (1).
Read 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
Dwell on the steadfast love of the Lord (3).Who said talking to yourself wasn’t a good idea? The psalmist is at it again – and unabashedly holds forth. We all talk to ourselves, whether or not we care to admit it! In this psalm, David gives a master class on how to praise the Lord and at the same time develop our emotional, mental, and spiritual health.
First, David spurs himself on to bless the Lord with everything he’s got because He is holy (1) – pure, unlike anyone else, set apart. It’s interesting that David starts here by focusing first on who God is, not on what He’s done, which comes next. David was human just like us and clearly needed reminding of how God had blessed him (2). He wrote a psalm, but today we might use apps, calendar notifications, or journals to remind us at key moments of our day.
Verses 2 to 5 remind us of how God saves and sustains us. Then, remembering the character of God (6–14) – He is righteous, merciful, gracious, compassionate, fatherly, tender – is a wonderful way of informing and strengthening our faith. Now, with the psalmist, reflecting on how transient life is, remember how safe we are in the hands of our everlasting God (15–19).
Apply
Why not memorize some key verses from today’s psalm and then regularly use them to talk to yourself?
Closing prayer
I praise You, my God, for Your forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, and compassion (3-4).
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