The past week’s reading included Psalm 103, another of my favorites. Yes, I know. I have a lot of favorites. But this one is the third I chose to memorize a couple years ago. It meant that much to me.

“Praise the LORD, O 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 103:2-5

I like this. A lot. It reads like David’s intimate list of God’s benefits. I used to do this. Not a list about God, but a list about someone in my life who was tough to love. After a long struggle, I decided to pen this person’s likable qualities. Wrote everything I could think of on a small scrap of paper, and kept the list of “benefits” in my wallet. Every time I found myself struggling to love, I pulled it out as a reminder.

In moments when God seems far and I feel disconnected, Psalm 103 is my reminder of His presence, beauty and goodness: He saved my sorry self from a huge pit. His forgiveness has never once come up short. He’s satisfied my starving heart more times than I can count. And, although living nearly killed me, He made me young again. And helped me soar.

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

• 2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17
• Psalm 25, Psalm 29, Psalm 33, Psalm 36, Psalm 39
  
• 2 Samuel 8-9, 1 Chronicles 18
• Psalm 50, Psalm 53, Psalm 60, Psalm 75
• 2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 19, Psalm 20
• Psalm 65-67, Psalm 69-70
• 2 Samuel 11-12, 1 Chronicles 20