New: 14 May 2025
Praising God
for His Goodness
Psalm 103
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me,
bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits.
Psalm 103:1-2 NKJV
The Goodness of God
God is full of goodness! And the psalmist praised God for it. In a world of much suffering and evil, focusing on God's goodness is important and empowering. We can become negative and discouraged by all the bad stuff happening around us; we might become despondent or depressed when we feel helpless to do anything about it. It can be overwhelming, like drowning in a flood (cf., Psalm 69, 66; E19). But God promised to be with us so that we won't drown! (see Isaiah 43:2). God is powerful to keep us no matter what might hit us in life. God is good and there is no evil in Him. God is light and there is no darkness in Him. God is righteous and there is no wickedness in Him. Yahweh is the only perfect and pure Being. The evil in the world is a reflection of human sin and we need to understand the goodness of God in order to live a meaningful life that can make a difference in our suffering world.
Good people have a heart to make the world a better place. We can't improve the whole world, yet we can change the world of the people we are helping. In order to do that, we need to know about God's goodness. We need to be convinced that God has not given up on this world and that the good we do has meaning and will make a difference, however small it might be. Doing small things with great love can have a tremendous ripple effect for generations to come. Praising God for His goodness is the best starting point to be empowered to face the world of evil with the goodness, power and love of God!
Praising and Proclaiming God 's Goodness
The psalmist praised God and proclaimed His goodness. Everything within him should praise and bless God and His holy Name (Psalm 103:1). The psalmist was wholehearted (cf., Psalm 9; E35) and persistent (cf., Psalm 34; E7) in His praise and worship of God. Praising God with our lips while our hearts are far from Him is useless and hypocritical (Matthew 15:7-8; Isaiah 29:13). For the psalmist praising God and His holy Name came first. He then also praised God for 'all His benefits' (Psalm 103:2), that is, 'the good things he does' (NLT) or His 'kind deeds' (NET). God's goodness is expressed in the good He does. God is good ad He does good (Psalm 119:68). We shout 'forget not' all of His goodness!
The opening verses of Psalm 103 show a healthy balance between praising God for who He is and for what He does. Seeking only God's hand, but not His face, is obviously wrong. But we shouldn't fall into the other extreme of never expecting anything good from Him. Serving God only for rewards or benefits, is obviously wrong, like a woman marrying a rich man for his money or for his father's money (if he is even richer!). In our materialistic world, motives get easily corrupted. There is a wrong theology of measuring God's blessing only in material terms. God is a generous Provider for those who seek first His Kingdom and righteousness with pure motives and a generous heart (Matthew 6:1-34; see Q4). Yet the psalmist expressed the 'benefits' of God, His good and kind deeds, first of all in terms of His forgiveness and healing (Psalm 103:3).
Forgiveness restores our relationship with God as it removes the sin that stands between a holy God and sinful humanity. The first priority of the psalmist, therefore, was to be in a right relationship with God. Healing is a beautiful blessing of God, who also redeems our lives from destruction and crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies (v 4). Although we are not immune from bad things happening to us because we live in a fallen, sinful world, God has a way to bring satisfaction and renewal to us (v 5). While material things are not unimportant and part of God's good blessings, the condition of our soul (our inner life) is more important than the status of worldly standards. What truly matters is doing the will of God (see 1 John 2:15-17). True happiness comes from contentment in the goodness of God (see 1 Timothy 6:3-16) and sharing the good things we have been given (vv 17-19). It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).
The LORD is merciful
[compassionate] and gracious,
Slow to anger,
and abounding in mercy [lovingkindness].
Psalm 103:8
God's Mercy and Grace
The psalmist continues his praise of God's goodness by pointing to His mercy and grace. These are expressed in different ways, notably establishing justice for the oppressed (Psalm 103:6). God's righteousness involves judgment on wickedness in order to protect the humble. In a fallen world, the innocent suffer because of the wicked, yet God sees all things and won't allow it indefinitely. The meek will, eventually, inherit the earth despite the temporary false 'success' of evil people (cf., Psalm 37; E2). Evil will not prevail, but everyone will reap what they sow. The moral universe is bent towards justice, as Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed based on his faith in the righteousness of God. God makes His ways and acts known to humankind (Psalm 103:7) and we are wise to heed His instructions and follow the godly paths in life. His mercy and grace are great blessings (v 8), as they turn His righteous anger for our sins away from us (vv 9-10) as He removes sin far from us (v 12) because His mercy is great towards those who fear Him (v 11). His mercy is 'from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him' (v 17). Note that the psalmist points twice to the blessing of the fear of the LORD expressed in His mercy (vv 11, 17; cf., Q7). His compassion is on those who fear Him (Psalm 103:13b). We cannot take God's mercy for granted. He gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). Where there is no humility, there is no grace. Mercy comes to those who humbly revere and honourably respect God.
God is merciful and knows our frailties (Psalm 103:13-16). The pride of certain people makes them think they are invincible, but we are wise to know that our days and strength are limited (cf., Psalm 90; E29). Our lives are precious in the eyes of our good Father (Psalm 103:13), and His mercy and righteousness come to us and our offspring if we live in a honourable relationship with Him (v 17) in obedience to His good Word (v 18). God gave His covenant for us in order to be faithful to it and His Word for us to obey it (v 18). We cannot be indifferent towards His Word. He gave it for us to obey it (Psalm 119:4; cf., Deuteronomy 7:9). There is blessing and reward in keeping God's Word (Psalm 1:1-3; 19:11; see E6). We are wise to live in harmony with the Lord of heaven and Ruler of the universe (Psalm 103:19). The angels obey His Word and execute His will (vv 20-21). And so should we. We bless the LORD and celebrate all His works in all the places of His dominion (v 22), where His will is done on earth as it is in Heaven.
As you praise God for His goodness, know that He is a good Father who has mercy on you as you humbly live for His will and glory. He is a generous Provider and gives mercy and grace to those who honour Him. Let us not forget the blessings of serving God as we are good to those around us. As you seek to make the world a better place, even in small ways, always keep God's goodness in mind. May God's goodness shine through everything you do, knowing that it is more blessed to give than to receive and that we what you do does make a difference in the world. It is worth it, even if it affects only one person. You may not be able to change the whole world, but you can change the whole world of that one person!