“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4who redeems your life from the pit.”
Psalm 103:2-4, ESV
You can’t help but respond to His deliverance of your soul. Stop and think.
You have been lifted to a place of safety. He has poured on you extraordinary blessings. Complete forgiveness, total healing, and a secure redemption–you’ve been purchased off “the slave block.” So much has happened to you since you met Jesus. Plus he loves you, present-tense. He has gifted you with the premium salvation package!
Our deliverance wasn’t just “once upon a time,” way back then. I suggest that it is for now, in this present moment. Do you remember when you first understood Jesus’ sacrifice for you? Can you recall the joy and peace when he “broke you out” of your miserable cell?
Dear one, a pit was dug to trap you. If you’ve fallen into it, you won’t be able to escape on your own. It will do its work, grimly and completely. Falling into it should not be part of your plan, it is a dark place. But there are many living who reside in this pit. It most evil and desperate place, and fully destructive to the souls of men.
In the light of this “atrocity of the pit,” deliverance is monumental. When we are lifted out of the darkness, we start for the first time living a life of worth and meaning. This alone should generate an overflowing heart. If you will only start to walk in understanding, you will start to find victory!
Forgiveness, healing and redemption: This triumvirate bores into our heart. These three words create salvation deep inside us. Each concept shapes us into ways that could never happen unless the Father wanted it. And He delights in delivering people from their darkness.
He lifts us out of that wicked trap. Look! He is coming to free us!
Our simple response must only be to worship. For many of us, it will take time and practice. Worship needs to be learned, we simply don’t do it naturally. But, thats ok. Simply put, we just need to start, and not forget all that He has done. Please, don’t forget. But remember all that He has done for you! Psalm 103 will teach you, and bring you to a special place.
Whom should we love, if not Him who loved us, and gave himself for us?
“Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.”
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.– That’s relationship
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.– That’s rest He leads me beside still waters.– That’s refreshment 3 He restores my soul.– That’s healing He leads me in paths of righteousness– That’s guidance for his name’s sake.– That’s purpose
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,– That’s testing I will fear no evil,– That’s protection for you are with me;– That’s faithfulness your rod and your staff, they comfort me.– That’s discipline
5 You prepare a table before me– That’s hope in the presence of my enemies;– That’s witness you anoint my head with oil;– That’s consecration my cup overflows.– That’s abundance 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,– That’s blessing and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord– That’s security forever.– That’s eternity
Psalm 23, ESV
We really do live in a world of uncertainty. Anything can happen (and often does) and at times we will struggle. Psalm 23 is something stable that we can latch on. It is a psalm of unparalleled comfort for the turmoil.
It is especially good to those of us who struggle with a suffering or illness. It is a tether for us that holds us in place. For those who fear death it promises us life– forever.
If you’re a broken believer who has issues, I encourage you to memorize this psalm. As you commit it to memory it will instinctively draw you to reality. It will be something the Holy Spirit will use over and over in your life. I have been crippled with fear many times, and this psalm has protected me.
“He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us.”
-2 Cor. 1:4, NCV
“The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: “Who among us can dwell withthe consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?”
Isaiah 33:14, ESV
There has to be some sort of confusion here. Some discrepancy, some incongruity, something overlooked. But things are never what they seem, and that is accentuated when we are in real pain. We think that whatever trouble we get enmeshed in, can’t have any real redeeming value. Or does it?
After a period of time walking with God, whose presence is true fire, we should process this prominent thought. Suffering is part of God’s idea. He has plans that hinge on our pain. It has been deliberately placed into our lives.
A competent pharmacist will be extremely aware of the drug he is filling for a patient. Never too much, nor too little. God is even more meticulous and acutely alert when it comes to suffering and pain. He has an intense love for you through it all. He drops in the proper amount needed for that moment. It is confined and designed to heal, grow, and strengthen. Never to harm or destroy. He is not punishing you.
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
Helen Keller
Keller understood. She was both deaf and blind, since infancy. From this dark and complete isolation, she broke through. Helen Keller became a potent and significant woman. She would graduate from college and became a famed public speaker of international renown.
“God never allows pain without a purpose in the lives of His children. He never allows Satan, nor circumstances, nor any ill-intending person to afflict us unless He uses that affliction for our good. God never wastes pain. He always causes it to work together for our ultimate good, the good of conforming us more to the likeness of His Son” (see Romans 8:28-29).
Jerry Bridges
Gold fears no fire.
We must believe pain has purposes. Life teaches us how to love. Some seem to go through life “charmed”, they are really not hurt in any substantial way. If that is the case, reach out and help someone else, for there’s certainly enough pain and evil to go around. (We should find ourselves actively sharing in the trials of others.)
I think that when a believer finally arrives in heaven, they will be ushered in limping, wounded, leaning on an angel for support. They will bring it all to Jesus, their scars remembered, and their sins forgiven. And we will be transformed, fit for heaven.
We really do live in a world of uncertainty. Anything can happen (and often does) and at times we will struggle. Psalm 23 is something stable that we can latch on. It is a psalm of unparalleled comfort for the turmoil.
Broken Believers 