“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5
“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.”
We can praise God with all our inmost being” if we understand how much He loves us:
“…And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19
Everything good comes from Him:
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17
We should be like David and continually praise the Lord. When he was fleeing for his life from King Saul, he wrote:
“I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” Psalm 34:1
Sometimes we may not feel like praising the Lord. Circumstances may be unpleasant or even horrific. Especially at that time we should:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight,” Proverbs 3:5-6
We can know that He will care for us:
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6
Praising God shows that we have faith in Him, He want us to continually trust Him and praise Him:
“Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Praising God witnesses of Him:
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life…” Philippians 2:14-16
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins”
We can praise the Lord if we remember what He has done for us. God has forgiven the sins of anyone who asks, although no one deserved His forgiveness:
“…There is no one righteous, not even one;” Romans 3:10
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23
Jesus died to pay the penalty of sin:
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us…” 1 John 3:16
We can freely accept His gift of eternal life:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
God wants everyone to come to Him:
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
John 3:16 sums up the gospel (good news):
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“…and heals all your diseases…”
Forgiveness of sins and healing is linked in Isaiah 53:
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
We are healed because He was wounded.
Another passage where healing and being saved are mentioned together:
“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” Jeremiah 17:14
God healed King David when he called for help:
“Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.” Psalm 30:2
Jesus everyone who asked Him:
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” Matthew 4:23-24
It is interesting to note that “…and heals all your diseases…” is listed with “…who forgives all your sins…” and “…who redeems your life from the pit…” and “…crown us with love and compassion…”. All are what the Lord gives us when we choose to believe in Him.
God gives good things to everyone:
He “…crown us with love and compassion…” and “…satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s”:
“The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” Proverbs 15:3
“…because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Luke 6:35
“…who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s”,
Though God gives sun, rest, food, etc. that brings health to all of us, believers can have special privileges if they ask. For instance, my neighbor is also health-conscious and we order from an organic source every few months. There is healthy food in the grocery store and especially in our gardens, also, but I believe God knew I would especially appreciate this special blessing.
One way in which God “…heals all your diseases…” is that He “…satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s”. Nutritious food renews our youth and heals our bodies.
The promise of renewing our youth like the eagle’s is also expressed in this passage and applies to His children:
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31
The list of all the good things the Lord gives us is endless: family, friends, animals, trees, water, clothing, tools, our five senses, abilities, interests, etc. That is why we can say:
“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.”