A Life for Praise

Psalm 103 is one of my favorite psalms and may possibly be some of yours, as well. This psalm begins with praise and it ends with praise.

Probably all of you here knew that Linda Knight had an incredibly deep love for the Lord Jesus Christ. It was obvious in so many ways. She had her own card ministry to others who needed encouragement. She had one of the most powerful prayer ministries involving so many people. Just listening to her pray, you knew somehow that Jesus would have been welcome to come have a snack and visit with her just the way she was. There was no pretension. You all most likely knew that one of her greatest desires was that people would see Jesus in her life, so they might get to know Him personally.

Psalm 103 is a psalm of reflection and contemplation. King David wrote this psalm, taking time to thank God for the many blessings he received. We also need to give God thanks for our blessings which we receive. Linda would often point this out to people whenever they would cross paths with her.

Praise for Personal Salvation

In Psalm 103.2-5, we see that we should praise the Lord with every bit of our being. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”

First, we get a quick look at all the benefits we receive personally. For Linda, and all who know Jesus Christ personally, this is the height of the benefits we receive from God. There is nothing greater than this. For us to realize that our sins are forgiven and that we are not condemned as guilty for them, should give us great reason to praise the Lord. Since we do not have to experience eternal separation from Jesus Christ, because of placing our trust and faith in Him, we can praise God.

David also paints a picture of a person being in a pit, then purchased and pulled out of that pit. Not only were you and I, who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, removed from that horrible pit; we have also been crowned with love and compassion. In addition to that, all of our desires which match God’s, plus our needs are satisfied with good things.

When we think about this, is it any wonder that we should praise God? God could very easily have left each of us in our own self-imposed, miserable pits. Instead, He has bought us and raised us up as royalty.

Praise for Lasting Benefits

Verses 6-19, show how God blessed the nation of Israel. Interestingly, many of us have experienced some of these same blessings, even though we are not from Israel. We’ve experienced, compassion, grace, love. We’ve not been dealt with according to our sins. We would certainly be thankful for all of that. We are especially thankful that we don’t get what we often deserve, while getting wonderful blessings that we don’t deserve.

These verses lead us to being thankful for the reality that when our sins are forgiven, they are removed as far as the east is from the west. We praise God for His love that seems to have no limits. We praise God that His love is timeless and measureless. And we are certainly thankful that God is in charge.

Is it any wonder that David, as well as Linda and all who know Jesus can say, Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy Name.? I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit inspired King David to write this song. That way, we can have some way to verbalize our thankfulness.

The singer, Larnelle Harris, shares a song that pictures the greatness of God’s grace and mercy. One line says: His grace is greater than all my failures.

There is a phrase that is repeated several times in these verses, which I believe is very important. This incredible love God provides is only for those who fear Him. In other words, this love is not something that is simply handed out regardless of a person’s belief. The Bible tells us that these experiences of grace, love, forgiveness, compassion, etc., are only available to those who would confess their sins and ask Jesus Christ to be their personal Lord and Savior. Linda was able to praise God for the fact that she knew Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. She knew that His blessings were limitless for all those who love Him.

A Universal Call For Praise

Verse 20-22 concludes this wonderful psalm, showing that all creation is to be praising the Lord. Even the angels who serve and obey Him are to give praise to Him. Everything one day will praise the Lord.

Reflections

As we have quickly gone through this psalm, you get the strong impression that King David was in awe as he focused on our incredible, amazing Lord. We also remember that David was called a man after God’s own heart. That certainly shows that he had a very personal relationship with God.

Those who knew Linda, would say that her saving relationship with Jesus Christ made a difference in how she lived her life. Family members and friends alike can share a multitude of stories as to how she made certain that everyone knew about Jesus and they could see Jesus in her in how she lived life.

The last few verses of Proverbs 31 could very well be a tribute to Linda. Let me share these verses in closing in honoring her and giving glory to God.

Proverbs 31.28-30 “Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying: “Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.” Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.”