Recently a visiting Pastor from Cuba shared with our church a timeless message from Psalm 103. It blessed my soul to hear a man who came in faith to encourage an American congregation to count the benefits of the Lord. We all know how blessed we are to live in a land of plenty, but it doesn’t hurt to shake our finger at our soul and remind ourselves just how blessed we are by the Lord. His simple yet profound word to remember all the Lord has done and will do inspired me greatly. So much so that it has been several weeks and I still hear his voice commanding my soul to rejoice and take courage.
A David Psalm 103
O my soul, bless God.
From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
don’t forget a single blessing!
He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.
When Jesus hung on the cross he pictured each of our faces as he forgave all our sin. Not until all of his creation was accounted for did he say, “It is finished”. He walks each of us through our diseases and heals our bodies of their infirmities. (As I type this Abigail has a temperature of 101 and Aaron had a biopsy yesterday for a suspicious mole, please pray in their healing!) In our eternal lives he redeems us from hell, what a benefit the Lord generously gives. Not only does he take the blame for our sin but he crowns us with love and mercy. They follow us all our days. When he looks at our faces or hears our names he sees goodness and beauty. In the Lord’s eyes we are always young.
Since the message came to me I speak back to fear and doubt with the word of the Lord. We needed braces for Abigail and the cost was too exorbitant for us to pay. We prayed to the Lord and he led us to an orthodontist in our church! The fee to get Abby’s braces from beginning to end was several thousand dollars, but we only had to pay 10% of that fee. Thank you, Grace and Mercy for following us and she was provided for!
I shake my finger at my worry and exchange it with meditation on his faithfulness, answers to prayers, miracles, abundant provision, love, eternal life, and health. Just to name a few; he provides for all of our financial needs every month, our pediatrician is a wonderful Christian man, our dentist recently has done several crowns for Jim and I and has not charged us for this extremely expensive procedure, and we have been safe for all these years living in a very dangerous place. We don’t want to take any of these benefits for granted. We are in constant appreciation for all of your gifts, also!
As we face today’s battles we arm ourselves with the powerful evidence of what God has done and build our faith to pray in the miracles we haven’t seen yet. In the words of Pastor Jose, “Shake your finger at your soul, and do not forget all his benefits!”
Jenifer Snider
June 2013