Recognizing God's Goodness
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Psalm 103:1-5
Psalm 103 is David’s personal talk with his own soul.
He is not preaching to a congregation.
He is preaching to his own heart.
He understands that the heart forgets far more quickly than it remembers.
He knows how easily discouragement can cast a shadow over God’s goodness.
He knows how quickly people drift toward fear, complaint, and anxiety when life feels overwhelming.
So instead of letting his heart lead him, David chooses to lead his heart.
We need more of that in this world!
David practices the spiritual discipline of speaking truth to himself.
He commands his soul to look at God instead of looking only at circumstances.
Psalm 103 shows us what it looks like to shepherd our own hearts with Scripture.
Recognizing God’s goodness is not a feeling we wait for but rather it is a skill that we develop.
It’s the practice of turning our thoughts toward what is true, what is eternal, and what is good about our God.
David begins his psalm here by addressing the deepest part of himself.
He says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” meaning that praise begins as a deliberate act of the will.
It is something you choose to do before it becomes something you feel.
This teaches us that worship is not rooted in our emotions but in our conviction.
Our praise should not be shaped by our circumstances but by the truth of God’s character.
When we follow David’s example, we learn to guide our hearts rather than be guided by them.
I. Direct Your Heart to Praise
I. Direct Your Heart to Praise
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: And all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits:
David commands his soul to praise the Lord because he knows that praise will realign the heart.
If you wait for the right emotion before you praise God, your praise will be inconsistent.
You will only praise God when you feel good.
But when you choose to praise God, the heart eventually follows the truth you speak.
The brain is a very powerful thing!
It always ends up believing what it is told.
Just like the psalmist in Psalm 42 tells his discouraged soul to hope in God, David is instructing himself.
He is showing us what spiritual maturity looks like.
It looks like taking responsibility for what your heart focuses on.
Today for each of these things that we should be doing, I want to try to give you a couple of practical steps how to do it.
A. Speak Praise When You Don’t Feel It
A. Speak Praise When You Don’t Feel It
David calls for “all that is within me” to bless the Lord.
He is not praising God half-heartedly.
He is engaging his entire being.
That means praise is a choice we have make intentionally.
Many believers wait for joy before they praise God, but Scripture teaches us the opposite.
Joy often follows praise.
Hebrews calls it “the sacrifice of praise,” reminding us that praise sometimes costs us something before it blesses us.
A missionary once said, “I do not sing because I am happy; I am happy because I sing,” and that captures the heart of verse one.
If you want your soul to rise, you must first choose to worship.
A practical step is to begin your day by speaking three truths about God before you check your phone or step into your routine.
Another practical step is to read a psalm out loud whenever anxiety begins to rise up within you.
Scripture spoken aloud reorients the heart.
The second practical step we can take to Direct Your Heart to Praise
B. Guard Your Heart Against Forgetfulness
B. Guard Your Heart Against Forgetfulness
David warvns himself, “Forget not all His benefits,”.
He says this because forgetfulness is a spiritual danger.
When we forget what God has done, we start to exaggerate what we fear.
When we forget His blessings, we start to question His character.
“Maybe God doesn’t care about what I’m going through.”
“If God really loved me, He wouldn’t let this happen.”
“God feels distant, so He must not be listening.”
“I guess God helps other people, but He doesn’t seem to help me.”
Forgetting leads to spiritual instability.
In Deuteronomy 6, God warned Israel not to forget Him once they entered the Promised Land because prosperity often dulls spiritual memory.
That is why God commanded them to rehearse those truths, like:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
A Christian counselor once said, “Most people are not discouraged because God failed them. They are discouraged because they forgot where God met them.”
When people grow discouraged, it is rarely because God stopped being faithful.
It is because they have lost sight of the moments when God provided, protected, strengthened, or comforted them.
Discouragement grows in the soil of forgetfulness—when we stop rehearsing the ways God has shown up in our past, we begin to assume He won’t show up in the present.
Remembering God’s past faithfulness restores confidence in His present goodness.
A practical step to guard against forgetfulness is to keep a “Blessing List.”
Write down something God did today, even something small.
Another practical step is to memorize one verse a week about the goodness of God so your heart has truth to cling to when discouragement comes.
When your heart begins to drift, remind yourself of God’s benefits until peace returns.
Once David directs his heart toward praise, he begins to recall the specific reasons God has earned that praise.
II. Rejoice in God’s Forgiveness
II. Rejoice in God’s Forgiveness
3a Who forgiveth all thine iniquities…
David begins with forgiveness because it is our greatest need and God’s greatest gift.
He says God “forgiveth all thine iniquities,” meaning that His forgiveness is total and complete.
There are no leftover sins.
There are no hidden failures God refuses to cleanse.
Forgiveness is the goodness of God poured on the deepest wounds of the soul.
If you want to recognize God’s goodness, start by remembering what He has forgiven.
Shame is heavy.
Guilt is exhausting.
But forgiveness is freeing.
First John 1:9 reminds us that …
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
You cannot fully grasp the goodness of God until you rest in the completeness of His forgiveness.
What are some practical steps we can take?
A. Confess Quickly and Honestly
A. Confess Quickly and Honestly
Confession is agreeing with God about your sin.
It is not informing Him.
He already knows.
It is aligning your heart with His truth.
When you confess quickly, guilt cannot take root.
When you confess honestly, shame loses its power.
Proverbs 28:13 reminds us that those who confess and forsake their sin find mercy…it says…
13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
If the Spirit convicts you, respond immediately.
Say, “Lord, that was wrong,” and bring it into the light.
Do not let sin linger in the shadows of your heart.
One practical step is to end your day with a moment of reflection.
Ask the Lord to show you anything that needs confession.
Another step is to speak your confession out loud in prayer so your heart hears the truth clearly.
Secondly,
B. Preach Forgiveness to Yourself Daily
B. Preach Forgiveness to Yourself Daily
Even after God forgives, many Christians continue to rehearse their failures.
The mind replays past sins like an old recording.
Augustine said “Guilt is like a stone in your shoe. It hurts with every step until it is removed.”
When guilt resurfaces, you have to speak God’s truth to your soul.
Quote a forgiveness verse aloud.
1 John 1:9
“Lord, You said in 1 John 1:9 that if I confess my sins, You are faithful and just to forgive me and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness — and I believe that right now.”
Psalm 10:12
“As Psalm 103:12 says, You have removed my sins from me as far as the east is from the west — my failures are gone because of Your mercy.”
Isaiah 1:18
“Isaiah 1:18 says, ‘Though my sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’ — and I trust that because of Christ, I am washed clean.”
Personalize the verses and speak them out loud.
“If Jeremy confesses his sins, God is faithful and just to forgive Jeremy’s sins and to cleanse him from all unrighteousness.”
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed Jeremy’s transgressions from him.”
“Though Jeremy’s sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Tell your heart, “God forgave that sin completely,” and let Scripture settle the matter.
A practical step is to write down verses about forgiveness and place them where you will see them often.
Another practical step is to replace every “I failed again” thought with the reminder, “God has forgiven me,” which will renew your mind to rest in His grace.
After reflecting on forgiveness, David continues to remember God’s goodness in another area—God’s faithfulness in our weakness.
III. Recognize God’s Faithfulness
III. Recognize God’s Faithfulness
3b … Who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
David says that God “healeth all thy diseases” and “redeemeth thy life from destruction.”
He is not only talking about physical healing.
He is talking about the wounds of the heart, the battles of the mind, and the pits of life we fall into.
God heals what is broken.
God restores what is damaged.
God rescues what is endangered.
Psalm 147:3 says
3 He healeth the broken in heart, And bindeth up their wounds.
Psalm 40:2 shows God lifting David out of a horrible pit and setting his feet on a rock.
2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
The same can be true for you!
God’s faithfulness shows up in moments when we feel weak, overwhelmed, or in danger.
He is the God who steps in when everything seems to be falling apart.
The first thing you need to do here is…
A. Trust Him with Your Wounds
A. Trust Him with Your Wounds
God heals diseases, but He also heals hurts.
He cares about your fears.
He cares about your disappointments.
He cares about the emotional bruises no one else sees.
Time alone does not heal wounds.
God heals wounds during time.
One practical step to help you do this is to bring your emotional pain to God in honest prayer instead of masking it behind busyness.
But this is purposeful!
Another practical step is to pray daily, “Lord, heal the parts of me I cannot see.”
This is inviting His healing into your hidden places.
B. Trust Him with Your Circumstances
B. Trust Him with Your Circumstances
God redeems your life from destruction.
Many believers can look back and see decisions that could have ruined everything.
Yet God stepped in.
He redirected.
He protected.
Romans 8:28 reminds us
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
He is constantly weaving goodness into your story even when you do not notice it.
A practical step in this regard is to write down instances where God stepped in, rescued you, or protected you.
Journal it, or make a list and thank the Lord over each event.
Another practical step is to pray, “Lord, I trust Your hand even when I cannot see Your plan.”
This will help you surrender what you cannot control to God’s hands.
David ends this section by pointing to yet another aspect of God’s goodness—the God who renews us from the inside out.
IV. Rest in God’s Refreshing Goodness
IV. Rest in God’s Refreshing Goodness
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
This is the language of deep soul satisfaction.
God refreshes us when we feel drained.
He renews us when we feel exhausted.
Isaiah 40:31 tells us that those who wait on the Lord renew their strength.
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.
God does not simply forgive you and heal you.
He fills you with good.
He restores your joy.
He renews your strength.
He breathes life back into weary hearts.
The first practical step you can take is to…
A. Seek Satisfaction in God, Not in Life’s Substitutes
A. Seek Satisfaction in God, Not in Life’s Substitutes
David says God satisfies us.
But many Christians try to satisfy their hearts with lesser things.
They try to fill their emptiness with distractions, entertainment, or busyness.
These things may numb the heart but never nourish it.
Psalm 34:8 invites us to…
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
God alone satisfies the soul.
One practical step is to begin your day by praying, “Lord, be my satisfaction today,” before reaching for anything else.
Another practical step is to pause during the day and read a verse about God’s goodness whenever you feel your soul growing restless.
Ask your pastor for a list of verses regarding the things you are struggling with.
Ask google, or chatGPT.
B. Allow God to Renew Your Strength Daily
B. Allow God to Renew Your Strength Daily
God renews our youth like the eagle’s, meaning He restores vitality and strength where weariness has settled in.
Second Corinthians 4:16 teaches that the inward man is renewed day by day.
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
This renewal is not a one-time event.
It is a daily gift.
A pastor once told of a woman in his church who had been walking through an incredibly heavy season — caring for an aging parent, working long hours, and dealing with her own health struggles.
Week after week nothing in her circumstances seemed to get better.
One day the pastor asked her how she was holding up.
She smiled weakly and said, “You know, God hasn’t changed a single one of my circumstances.”
Then she paused, with tears in her eyes, and added, “But He has changed my strength.”
One practical step is to end your day by naming ways God renewed you today.
Another practical step is to ask Him each morning, “Refresh my heart today,” this will invite His renewing power to fill you.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
David teaches us to direct our hearts to praise, to rejoice in forgiveness, to recognize God’s faithfulness, and to rest in His renewing goodness.
Spiritual strength grows when we rehearse God’s goodness.
Gratitude becomes the lens through which we see everything differently.
During the Great Depression, there was a family who kept a “Thankful Jar.”
Every night they put in one slip of paper with one blessing.
At year’s end the jar overflowed, it proved to them, and reminded them that God had been good even in their hardest days.
Their circumstances did not change.
But their hearts did.
If you want to recognize God’s goodness more clearly, begin today.
Start your own “Blessing List.”
Speak truth to your heart.
Rejoice in forgiveness.
Trust God in your wounds and circumstances.
And rest in the renewing goodness of the God who satisfies your soul.
Can I ask you to bow your heads and close your eyes.
As we do, I want to ask you something very personal.
Have you been forgetting God’s goodness?
Have you been looking so long at the burdens in front of you that you’ve lost sight of the blessings behind you?
If that’s you would you raise your hand up to God, no one is looking around, every eye is closed, every head is bowed.
Raise your hand up to God and say, Lord that is me…I’ve been looking at the troubled sea and I’ve forgotten to remind myself of your protections, provisions and power that you have given me in the past.
I know that means you will do it again.
You may put your hands down.
Maybe this morning you need to speak truth to your own soul again.
Maybe you need to raise your hand right now and say, “Lord, that’s me. I’ve been listening to my feelings more than Your Word, and I want to start speaking truth to my heart again.”
If that’s you, would you quietly lift your hand to the Lord right now?
You may put your hands down.
Perhaps you’ve been carrying guilt that God already forgave long ago.
Maybe you need to raise your hand and say, “Lord, that’s me. I’ve been forgiven, but I haven’t been living like it. Help me rest in Your mercy.”
Slip your hand up to God right where you are.
Again no one is looking around, this is a private time between God and an individual.
You may put your hand down.
Perhaps there are wounds you’ve been hiding or circumstances you’ve been trying to carry alone.
If that speaks to your heart, raise your hand to Him now.
Say, “Lord, that’s me. I’m tired of carrying this alone, and I need Your healing and Your strength.”
You may put your hand down.
God has been good to you, and He invites you to come just as you are…broken, hurting, but loved and forgiven.
If the Lord has spoken to your heart, the invitation is open.
If you would like to stop me on the way out to tell me you would like me to pray with you…let’s do it.
But right now, take a moment to thank Him for His goodness.
Bring your burdens to Him.
Let Him renew your strength.
And leave here resting in the God who satisfies your soul.
