August 23, 2026

Opening & Intro

You ever walk into a room and completely forget why you went in there?

You just stand there.

Why am I here?

So you walk back out.

And somehow, the second you get back where you started...

OH YEAH!

And you turn around and go back.

Memory is a strange thing.

Because we don't just forget things that don't matter.

We forget things that matter all the time.

And some things are too important to forget.

Because eventually life is going to get loud enough that what you see right now starts making you forget what you already know to be true.

Main Point

Deep roots remember what is true when life makes it easy to forget.

Why Does it Matter

Because there are going to be moments when what's wrong gets so loud that you forget what's true.

And if we're not careful, one hard season can completely reshape the way we see God.

So we need to learn how to remember before we need to.

Scripture

Psalm 103 NIV

Of David. Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, my soul.

1–5 — Remember what He has done

David starts this Psalm talking to himself.

Praise the Lord, my soul. Forget not all his benefits.

Basically:

Come on, soul. Remember.

Because we're really good at remembering the bad stuff.

What went wrong.

What hurt.

The prayer that didn't get answered the way we wanted.

What somebody said six years ago...

That we remember perfectly.

But the good stuff gets buried.

[POPEYE RIVER RAFT STORY — ANGRY REUBEN]

It's funny when you're five.

You've had an AMAZING day.

Then you get soaked and suddenly:

THIS IS THE WORST DAY EVER!

But...

we do it too.

One thing goes wrong and somehow it rewrites the whole story.

One disappointment makes us forget years of faithfulness.

One painful season and we start wondering:

Has God ever really been good to me?

And David says:

Soul. Remember.

He forgives.

He heals.

He redeems.

He surrounds you with love and compassion.

He fills your life with good things.

He renews you.

David isn't pretending everything is good.

He's remembering that God is.

Don't let what's wrong right now erase everything God has done.

Deep roots remember.

6–12 — Remember who He is

Then David moves from what God has done to why He does it.

Because this isn't just what God does.

It's who He is.

Compassionate.

Gracious.

Slow to anger.

Abounding in love.

And David didn't make that description up.

That's how God described Himself to Moses.

This is God telling us what He's like.

Think about an orange.

You squeeze an orange, what comes out?

Orange juice.

Why?

Because that's what's inside.

The pressure doesn't create it.

It reveals it.

And look at Israel.

They rebelled.

They complained.

They chased other gods.

Over and over again.

And what comes out of God?

Compassion. Grace. Patience. Love.

Their failure didn't make God gracious.

It showed them the God who had already told them He was.

That's why David says in verse 10:

He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

And that takes us right back to last week.

Psalm 51:

I've sinned. I need mercy.

Psalm 103:

This is the God you come to for mercy.

David didn't have to talk God into being merciful.

He already knew God was merciful.

And what does God do with our sin?

He doesn't ignore it.

He doesn't save it to throw back in your face later.

He removes it.

As far as the east is from the west.

How far east do you have to go before you're going west?

You don't.

That's the picture.

Removed.

So when your failure makes you forget who God is...

Remember:

He is not reluctant to be gracious.

Grace is part of His character.

13–18 — Remember how He sees you

And then the picture changes.

God isn't just King.

He's Father.

Verse 13:

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.

And why?

Verse 14:

He knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

God knows what He's working with.

He knows your limits.

He knows you get tired.

He knows you get scared.

He knows you get overwhelmed.

None of that surprises Him.

You know when a little kid has had a huge day?

They've been going all day, but they insist:

I'M NOT TIRED!

Five minutes later...

Gone.

Head sideways. Mouth open. Completely out.

And when you get home, you don't say:

Come on! Get yourself together! Walk inside!

You unbuckle them.

Pick them up.

Carry them inside.

Because you know they're exhausted.

You know they're little.

And you don't love them less because they can't make it to the house.

You carry them.

That's David's picture.

He remembers that we are dust.

He doesn't look at you when you're struggling and go:

Seriously? Again?

He has compassion.

That doesn't mean how we live doesn't matter. Verse 18 makes that clear.

But we don't have to pretend we're stronger than we are.

He already knows.

And then David gives us this contrast.

We're like grass.

Here for a little while...

and gone.

But verse 17:

From everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him.

We're temporary.

His love isn't.

Our strength runs out.

His doesn't.

We wobble.

He doesn't.

So remember how He sees you:

He knows you're dust.

And He has compassion.

19–22 — Remember who is on the throne

And then David pulls the camera all the way back.

Verse 19:

The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

Have you ever been on a plane when you hit real turbulence?

Everything's fine, and then suddenly...

WHAM.

The plane shakes. It drops.

Everybody gets quiet.

And what do you do?

You look at the flight attendants.

Because if they're still handing out pretzels...

Okay. Apparently we're not dying.

You're feeling every bump.

But there's a pilot up front with information you don't have, instruments you can't see, and a perspective you don't have.

And even though it feels out of control...

the pilot is still flying the plane.

Feeling out of control and actually being out of control are two different things.

Now, obviously, God isn't a pilot.

Pilots can lose control.

David's point is stronger than that.

Sometimes life feels like turbulence.

Something changes.

Something you thought was solid starts moving.

Something happens that you never saw coming.

And David says:

Look higher.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

The turbulence doesn't mean the throne is empty.

God is still on the throne.

Circumstances change.

People disappoint you.

Bodies fail.

Years pass.

The throne doesn't move.

This Psalm started with one guy trying to get his own soul to praise God.

Now he's calling the whole universe to join him.

Angels.

Heavenly hosts.

Everything God has made.

Praise Him.

And after calling the whole universe to praise...

David comes back to himself.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Right back where he started.

Application

Application — Preach Psalm 103 to yourself

David starts this Psalm talking to himself.

Praise the Lord, my soul. Forget not all his benefits.

Sometimes you need to do that.

Don't wait until you feel it. Remind yourself what's true.

So here's my challenge this week.

Take five minutes. Put your phone down. Get quiet.

And ask yourself four questions:

What has God done? Where has He carried me? Provided for me? What has He brought me through?

Who is God? Compassionate. Gracious. Slow to anger. Abounding in love.

How does He see me? He knows I'm dust. He knows my limits. And He has compassion.

Who's on the throne? Not me. Not my circumstances. Not the thing I'm afraid of.

God is.

Maybe even write those four answers down.

Because there will be a day when what you feel doesn't line up with what you know.

And on that day...

Preach to your soul.

Deep roots don't mean you never struggle.

Deep roots mean you know what to remember when you do.

Closing

Remember where we started?

Walking into a room and forgetting why you went in there?

Usually that's no big deal.

But some things are too important to forget.

Because eventually you're going to walk into a season where life looks different than it did before.

And when you do...

Don't forget what you knew before you walked in.

Remember what God has done.

Remember who He is.

Remember how He sees you.

Remember who is on the throne.

Deep roots remember what is true when life makes it easy to forget.

So preach to your soul:

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Forget not all His benefits.