PDF Sermon Manuscript: Psalm 103 - Remember All His Benefits
It’s been an interesting year, hasn’t it? Everyday life has been interrupted in ways we never thought possible. Schools closed, restaurants and businesses shut down, having to wear masks, unable to visit loved ones in the hospital or nursing home. Not even the ability to have a proper funeral when someone passes. Add to that racial tensions and political unrest. The year 2020 is one we will never forget. All of this gives us plenty of reasons to lament.
And yet, I’m worried. I’m not worried about getting Covid, or the state of the economy, or the results of the election. Perhaps I should be, but none of these things take God by surprise, so I trust that in a way unbeknownst to me they all fall within his sovereign will. Instead, I’m worried about something more profound. I’m worried that we’ve taken God for granted.
After all, it’s easy enough to do. When the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness, let’s just say they didn’t always have the best attitude. After leaving Egypt they quickly became experts in the art of grumbling. For forty years they complained about the food, they criticized their leadership, they bemoaned the challenges God put in front of them. Never mind that God had miraculously delivered them from brutal slavery. Never mind the promises kept and the future that awaited. Never mind the parting of the Red Sea. Never mind how God had dealt graciously with them. They took the mercies of God for granted. They seemed to have forgotten these things. And for many of them, their sin would cause them to not see the Promised Land.
In some sense, we find ourselves in a proverbial wilderness. We’ve quickly become all too skilled in grumbling about our circumstances. Our social media posts tell only of our unhappiness with present circumstances. And God’s graciousness has been all but forgotten. So, what should we do? We need to give ourselves a good talking to. That’s what Psalm 103 is all about. It’s a Psalm of David, and I want you to take note of who he’s talking to. He’s not primarily talking to other people or even God. He’s talking to his own soul. And he tells his soul, don’t forget to remember.