COUNT (Psalm 103)

Psalm 103:15 talks about how even flowers of the field (like this

one) are transitory, just as we are in our earthly existence.

(Part of a series on the 48 psalms recommended for study during times of "feeling down," from pastor/counselor David Seamands' book Healing for Damaged Emotions.)

Psalm 103 has a lot in common with an old hymn, “Count Your Blessings,” that from time to time has helped lift me out of emotional doldrums. First published in a hymnal for young people, it later reached an international audience when evangelist Gypsy Smith used it in his London crusades. The London Daily reported: “Men sing it, the boys whistle it, and the women rock their babies to sleep on this hymn.” During the great revival in Wales, it was a must-sing at every service along with “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” and “O That Will be Glory.”  Its author, Johnson Oatman Jr., wrote hymns on the side after his “day job” in the mercantile and insurance businesses. When he died in 1922, he left behind 5,000 hymn texts, the best-known probably being “Higher Ground,” “No, Not One,” and “Count Your Blessings,” whose chorus resounds:

 Count your blessings—name them one by one; 

Count your many blessings see what God hath done.

With that, Oatman summarized the whole of Psalm 103, in which David simply praises God. Praise and gratitude are God’s remedy for “feeling down,” and this psalm is a great starter list for any of us.
  

ALL, ALL, ALL

The word “all” is prominent:

*ALL his inmost being praised God (v. 1)

*ALL God’s benefits were remembered (v. 2)

*ALL our sins can be forgiven (v. 3)

*ALL healing comes from Him (v. 3). I’m aware that some sectors of faith claim that if you’re a true Christian, God will give you perfect health. Miracles of healing do happen, but they are rare and are not the norm.  It is true that when we’re sick and get well, it’s the grace of God that we can overcome illness. (I write this as I cough off the remnants of a cold, remembering times when I gasped for breath with pneumonia, but through modern medicine—a grace of God—I lived.)  If healing is in the atonement, why hasn’t healing come for people like “Joni,” paralyzed Christian author and artist who has inspired millions toward a closer walk with God? The answer to that must wait until heaven.

*ALL the oppressed will find justice (v. 6). This may not happen suddenly, but it’s God’s will that this wrong will be made right. For example, witness today’s ministries to women caught in sex slavery—pulled from it, one at a time. Or children removed from abusive homes and put in Christian foster homes.

The final “all’s” of this psalm refer to the scope of praise to God. It’s “all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will” and “all his works everywhere in his dominion.” 

THAT PART ABOUT SIN

Many years ago I received a phone call from a young woman who was frantic about losing God’s love because she’d yielded to sexual sin. I went to her apartment and listened to her cries for mercy. I wondered how to comfort her with the assurance of God’s forgiveness for confessed sin. At just the right time, God reminded me of this duo of verses, memorized long before:

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 as he removed our transgressions from us. (vv. 11-12)

This was written long before Columbus sailed across the ocean and didn’t fall off the ledge—contrary to the common fear that the earth was flat. Later, others would sail around the world, “proof” of roundness. North and south are established points on our globe--there are north poles and south poles. But east to west have no “poles.” They blend continually.

THE BIGGEST THANK-YOU

After exploring the grandeur of the universe, the psalmist comes back to our human condition. Like flowers and grass, we don’t live forever on this planet. Yet through the promise of eternal life we can anticipate His mercy and a life after this one—with Him. Johnson Oatman got it “right,” reminding us (as do the final stanzas of Psalm 103): 

So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged, God is over all;

Count your many blessings, angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

SOFT (Psalm 95)

A sheep (this one a puzzle piece--thank you, grandsons)

and a strong rock--two major symbols for Psalm 95

(An ongoing series on the 48 psalms recommended for reading during times of “feeling down,” as suggested in pastor-counselor David Seamands’ book, Healing for Damaged Emotions)

The soft strains of a 1980 worship song birthed in southern California always come to mind when I read Psalm 95:

Come, let us worship and bow down,

Let us kneel before the Lord our God our Maker,

For He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture,

And the sheep of His hand (2x)

For a couple years, I lived and worked within a few miles of that song’s origins in the Maranatha! music ministry produced from Calvary Chapel, which greatly ministered to the hippie culture of that era.  I wonder how many people realized it was lifted right out of Psalm 95:6-7, or that this psalm has a strong message for hard hearts

So, how can warnings about “hardness” bring any comfort to times we feel down? I think the answer is in looking at place-names attached to an incident from the Exodus 17, when the newly-freed Israelites found themselves facing death because there was no water in the desert. They were blaming God, not worshipping Him.Then God told Moses to strike a certain rock, and out came a huge flow for all. From then on, the location was called “Massah” (meaning “testing”) and “Meribah” (meaning quarreling) because “they tested the LORD saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’” (Exodus 17:7).

DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN

Baseball great Yogi Berra was known for his odd sayings, including the redundant “it’s deja vu all over again.” With spiritual maturity comes the ability to see ourselves in the mistakes of the past, such as the grumbling over lack of water. Thanks to living in a country where tap water is chlorinated and tested, I don’t face what the Israelites did with thirst and deprivation. But our culture sends griping and complaining into new areas. That can lead to a high sense of entitlement—what we think God should supply—without simply grateful for what we already have. Constantly I have to ask myself if I can say, with Paul:

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Philippians 4:12)

JUST PRAISE

During that same time that I lived in southern California, I was part of a Fullerton, Calif., church choir that sang a worship concert with the Gaither song, “Let’s Just Praise the Lord.” I still find myself humming that tune and thinking of the words, realizing how praise helps lift me when I am feeling down. When I feel “hard” and besieged, focusing on God’s mercies and greatness help to “soften” my heart. And that is the lesson that opens this psalm with its exhortation to praise God:

Come let us sing for joy to the LORD,

Let us shout aloud  to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving 

And extol him with music and song. (vv. 1-2)

The psalmist goes on to consider God as Creator of the world (vv. 3-5), then creator of us, humans, by allegory “people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (v. 7). Can you not help but stop here and think of Jesus as the Great Shepherd? Psalm 95 teaches that there are many ways to praise God: sing, shout aloud, extol with music, bow down, kneel... Even silence can be worship: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

“Count your blessings,” begins an old hymn, “name them one by one.” When I feel down and a bit hard-hearted, it’s the best spiritual medicine I can take.

Baskets of praises

One of my neighbors has created a whimsical basket by training a forsythia bush. When it blooms in spring, we’re treated to a golden basket that makes me smile every time I pass by it.
            The other day while studying Psalm 103 I thought about how all of us have been given a golden basket that we can fill—with praises. Outlined as an acrostic for “praise,” the psalm reminds us of some of the extraordinary blessings God has poured into our lives.
            P—Provision for life (vv. 1-3). The word “all” is prominent in these verses.  We praise God “with all that is within me” and are to “forget not all his benefits.”  The greatest is forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. He is also our physical healer, whether through medicine, miracles, or the perfect healing of heaven. Spiritual healing (like forsaking a bitter attitude) can also yield physical benefits.
            R—Renewing presence (vv. 4-5). Re-read Isaiah 40:31 and consider how God renews you like an eagle, enabling you to keep going even in tough times. Remember the “good things” in your life, as they are His gifts.
            A—Almighty plan (vv. 6-9). Underline in your Bible the words that describe His power and works in history. Praise Him that He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
            I—Immeasurable mercy (vv. 10-12). This is the section of superlatives: “as high as the heavens are above the earth” for His love, and “as far as the east is from the west” (they never meet) for His forgiveness. If you haven’t already, memorize this verse. One night it enabled me to comfort a friend who thought she’d committed an unforgiveable sin. (The only “unforgiveable sin” is utterly rejecting Jesus.)
            S—Sympathetic care (vv. 13-18). The psalmist used father-love to try to explain the depth of compassion God has for us. Earth is temporary and full of woe. But His love is the immeasurable “from everlasting to everlasting.” Praise Him for His incomprehensible, eternal, wonderful presence and workings.
            E—Eternal dominion (vv. 19-22). “Praise the Lord” is no cheap phrase. Call it out with the excitement and awe of all the choruses of Heaven praising God “everywhere in His dominion.” Someday, those who believe in God will be part of that celestial chorus. Earth is the rehearsal hall for the Real Thing.
            Finish out with a simple praise for scriptures like Psalm 103 that remind us how to thank Him with whole and holy hearts. Truly, our baskets overflow.

PRRRRRaise!



The full quote of sign on our porch:
"When I count my blessings, I count
 you twice." The cat's "blessing" was
probably a sunny spot to nap!

 The family cat was waiting when I slipped out of bed early for private time with God. As I headed to the kitchen for tea, he followed with a crescendoing purr. It had something to do with “plop of wet cat food in dish.” As he ate and purred, and I opened my Bible, I thought how that’s the attitude I want for God-time. Prrrrraise…anticipating, then savoring.

If our cat counted blessings for Thanksgiving, there would be just some broad categories: food, brushing, warm lap, private sleeping corner, the great outdoors in moderation.

We have so much more to inspire our thanks. Although its message has been blurred by the traditions of turkey and football, Thanksgiving is still about giving thanks. Or, as ancient Asaph of the temple music department put it, “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High” (Psalm 50:14).

I’ve been spending more time in psalms lately, and want to suggest some praise psalms for your reading list as Thanksgiving approaches. Here are seven, one for each day until Nov. 22.

Psalm 30, David’s composition for the dedication of the temple. I like how it contrasts life’s dark times with its hope. My favorite verse: “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (30:5). Thank God for bringing you through a dark time in your life.

Psalm 34, by David, when he pretended to be insane for his safety (1 Samuel 21). After getting out of that too-close-for-comfort danger, he sang out huge stanzas of praise. My favorite verses: “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together” (34:3, also our wedding verse). “Those who look to him are radiant” (v. 3). “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (v. 8). “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (v. 18). Praise God for His protection.

Psalm 40, by David, another hymn about protection. Most memorable image: “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (v. 2). For a real-life example of this many years later, go to Jeremiah 38 and read of the prophet’s sinking punishment. Another: “I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly” (v. 10b). Share with someone or a group about a time when God helped you.

Psalm 65, by David, packed full of praises for God’s work among people and in nature. Favorite verse: “You crown the year with bounty” (v. 11). Thank God for His benevolent care through food and shelter.

Psalm 103, another by David. It lists blessing after blessing. One precious to many is forgiveness: “As far as the east is from the west, so far as he removed our transgressions from us” (v. 2). Pick one blessing from the psalm’s list to praise God.

Psalm 107, no author listed, recounting God’s powerful plan seen in history. Key verse: “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men” (v. 8). With today’s perspective on yesterday’s problems or challenges, thank God for His superior plan.

Psalm 116, no author listed, praise for God’s sustaining power in difficulties. Memorable verse: “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people” (vv. 12-14). Verse 15 touches the event most have a hard time linking to praise: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” In my mother’s last hours before her death of cancer, my father read this psalm to her. As he came to that verse, I knew she would soon be one of those “precious ones.” I also affirmed that death, though a painful parting on this side, transitions to something wonderful for those who are Christians. If you have loved ones who aren’t yet Christians, pray for their salvation.

Extra credit! Psalm 145 (also by David) is an ABC praise poem (except using the Hebrew alphabet, from aleph to taw). Make an alphabetical list of your own thanksgivings to God.