Psalm 103 – A Lesson in Gratitude

By Canon Basil Tynes

Twenty-Two Verses and not ONE Request

As human beings, we always have needs. The Psalm is focused on God.

The Psalmist makes it clear that:

• In spite of his frailty, he yearns to bless the Lord
• In spite of his short-term memory loss, he will bless the Lord
• In spite of his struggles, he will still bless the Lord
• In spite of sickness, he will bless the Lord
• In spite of the struggle with guilt, he will still bless the Lord
• In spite of sickness, He will bless the Lord
• In spite of limited strength, he will bless the Lord
• In spite of injustice and oppression, he will bless the Lord
• In spite of his forgetfulness about the awesome works of the Lord in the past, he will still bless the Lord
• In spite of his experience of God’s displeasure, he will still bless the Lord
• In spite of standing exposed before His mighty God, he will still bless the Lord
• In spite of the loneliness and isolation caused by sin, he will still bless the Lord
• In spite of the fact that there are times when he feels forsaken, he will still bless the Lord
• In spite of sometimes not feeling loved, he will still bless the Lord
• In spite of his finite existence, he will bless the Lord
• In spite of the times when he may feel out of place with regard to the cosmos and spiritual world, he will bless the Lord
• In spite of the lack of thanksgiving and praise from God’s ministers, the Psalmists are saying, he will bless the Lord
• In spite of his own weakness to give God what He really deserves, He will surely bless the Lord

Ten Ways of Testing our Level of Gratitude towards God

1. How deep have you dived into the mighty acts of God? Do you know the length, breadth, depth, and height of every generous act of God towards your life?
2. The real test is blessing the Lord without one request or petition.
3. Real gratitude is when you pour yourself out like a libation offering.
4. Real gratitude is expressed when we want to be like him in terms of His character, nature, and attributes.
5. Real gratitude remembers and recalls every blessing:
   • Forgiveness
   • Healing
   • Redemption — even from grave sickness
   • Every blessing
   • Strength as the years roll on
   • Every time He gives us something to eat
   • When He brings out the best in us
6. Real Gratitude produces hope even in the face of injustice and oppression.
7. Real gratitude knows what the Lord requires of us and the Life he calls us to live:
   • Merciful
   • Gracious
   • Forbearing
   • Loving
   • Compassionate
   • Tolerant
   • Consistent
   • Righteous
   • Faithful
   • Always looking after the interests of others
8. Real Gratitude helps us to realize how different God is from us.
   • We are broken; He is whole
   • We are forgetful; God never forgets
   • We are sinful; He is sinless
   • We are never satisfied; He is always willing to accept us as we are
   • We are merciless and mean-spirited; He is merciful and gracious
   • We are resentful; He can’t even hold his anger against us
   • We are spiteful; He does not even know how to hold a grudge
   • We are calculative and manipulative; He pours his love and compassion on us
   • We always want to try and take His spot; All he wants to do is affirm us
   • We want to be served, but he is serving the needs of all of his creation
9. Real gratitude is not afraid to keep repeating itself — just like the Psalmist, we are prepared to begin and end on the same note: “Bless the Lord, O my soul!”

10. Real Gratitude knows that we can expect a reversal of fortunes — we just need to surrender our lives to God, and he will move us to where he wants us to be. From brokenness to wholeness; from being diseased to being cleansed. From being the underdog to being at the top of the list. From being pitied to being highly favoured. He will turn it around!

So forget about yourself and concentrate on Him and worship Him.

Bless the Lord, O My Soul!

Amen and Amen.