Author: David Short

Psalms 108:21-22 (109:21-22)

But You, O Lord, O Lord, deal mercifully with me for Your name’s sake,
For Your mercy is good.
Save me, for I am poor and needy,
And my heart is troubled within me.

Encouraging Words

Do we have a close enough relationship with our God to ask Him to deal with us in His own way? Do we trust Him that much? We can. It is our choice to give our all to Him. His mercy is good and He will be merciful to us. Glory be to God!

Psalms 103:33-34 (104:33-34)

I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing to my God as long as I exist;
May my words be pleasing to Him,
And I shall be glad in the Lord.

Personal Challenge

Is it really possible to sing to the Lord in days like we are in today? Dealing with a pandemic, sequestered in our homes, some of us laid off from work, conspiracy theorists, and those loving anarchy ramping up. So many see these as hard and difficult times. But are they? We are not being pulled from our homes and sent to concentration camps because we proclaim Christ as our Lord. We are not being branded and sent to gas chambers because of our nationality. We are still free, just being asked to do what is deemed prudent to curtail an unprecedented virus. Yes, it is an inconvenience. Yes, in some cases it means an impact on our income. But is truth, we have so much that we can sing to our Lord about. Maybe we should focus our energies and our commentaries on praising our Lord for all that He has done for us and given to us rather than focusing on conspiracies and rantings that tickle our ears and make us feel superior to others. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Psalms 102:17-18 (103:17-18)

But the mercy of the Lord is from age to age upon those who fear Him,
And His righteousness upon children’s children,
To such as keep His covenant
And remember His commandments, to do them.

Encouraging Words

God is faithful, even if we are not. He gives His mercy and righteousness to us when we keep His covenants. And when we do not, He remains ready to forgive us of our sins because He loves us. Glory be to God!

Psalms 102:10-13 (103:10-13)

He did not deal with us according to our sins,
Nor reward us according to our transgressions;
For according to the height of heaven from earth,
So the Lord reigns in mercy over those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So He removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him,

Encouraging Words

We have so much to be thankful for when it comes to God’s compassion toward us who fear Him. We sin and transgress against Him. Sometimes we do this without intending to, but usually, it is our defiant choices that we make. God, however, does not deal with us according to what we deserve for those sins and transgressions. Instead, He pours out His mercy and compassion on us. He removes our sins from us. He shows us His love. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Psalms 102:8 (103:8)

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

Personal Challenge

Since this passage praises our Lord for being compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy, then why am I categorizing this as a personal challenge. Because, as a follower of Christ, we are expected to become like Him. To live our lives in such a way so as to be Him to those around us. This means that I too must be compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. This is indeed the personal challenge. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Psalms 102:1-6 (103:1-6)

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And everything within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His rewards:
Who is merciful to all your transgressions,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from corruption,
Who crowns you with mercy and compassion,
Who satisfies your desire with good things;
And your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord shows mercies
And judgment to all who are wronged.

Encouraging Words

Once again, the Psalmist reminds us of how much we have to be thankful for. We are indeed blessed by our Lord. He pours out His mercy, healing, and redemption upon us. He crowns us, meets our desires for the good things, and renews our strength. We are His and He deserves our blessings. Glory be to God!

Psalms 100:2 (101:2)

I will sing and understand in a blameless way;
When will You come to me?
I walked in the innocence of my heart in the midst of my house.

Personal Challenge

Every year we go through the Lenten and Paschal cycle where we remember Jesus and all that He did to defeat death on our behalf. We also look forward to that day when He will return to take us to our true home and put away the misery of this fallen world. Do we sing and understand in a blameless way that He is coming and we need to be ready for Him to arrive? Do we spend our lives walking in the innocence of heart that we should be walking to be prepared for Him? This is our personal challenge. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy as me, the sinner!

Psalms 99 (100)

Shout aloud to the Lord, all the earth;
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with great joy.
Know this: the Lord, He is God;
He made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving
And into His courts with hymns;
Give thanks to Him; praise His name;
For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth is from generation to generation.

Encouraging Words

Bad things do happen to us. We are caught in pandemics. There are tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other calamities. We lose our jobs and our loved ones. Life can be harsh. But in all of this, we can still shout aloud about the beauty of our Lord and how much He loves us. We can shout about His goodness and mercy proclaiming it in our lives. Glory be to God!