The last morning at Ridgecrest was yesterday, and I was able to spend about an hour alone with God in the prayer garden. It was a really nice time. The Lord showed me a couple of passages in the Psalms that really inspired me.
First of all, in Psalms 101, he showed me how important it is to continually surround yourself with people that inspire you towards righteousness. And in Psalm 103, he showed me several things:
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-
Often we think of all of the challenges, problems, and sacrifices we make to live a Christian life - but praise the Lord, there are, as this passage says - BENEFITS!!! The next verses outline them.
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,
What a beautiful picture here! His compassion is like a crown he gives us!
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.
Here's another emphasis on His compassion, which I believe is a theme of the passage.
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;
A third expression of his compassion, and probably the most tender statement in the passage.
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
Verses 15 and 16 remind us of how temporal our earthly bodies are, but the verses that follow compare this with the ETERNAL nature of our Heavenly Father.
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.
The last verses in the chapter are a a simple doxology of praise to God, and a fitting way to end this wonderful passage.
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, O my soul.
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