Psalm 103 reads like a litany of blessings, or like a shower of blessings. Listen to the benefits of God the psalmist recites:

God forgives, heals, redeems, crowns with love and compassion, satisfies, and renews. God works righteousness and justice for the oppressed.

God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

In fact, God’s love is so great, it is as high as the heavens are above the earth. God’s love is great enough to remove our sins such that the distance between us and our transgressions is as far as the east is from the west.

God’s compassion is not abstract. It is tangible, like the compassion of a father for his children.

The psalmist lists many blessings from God, but begins with a directive to his soul to bless God. Hebrew blessings are short prayers spoken to God to offer thanks for daily events, and the Talmudic rabbis believe it is forbidden to enjoy such things without offering a blessing. In fact, the Talmud states, “If you enjoy something in this world without saying a blessing, it is as if you stole it.”

I am convicted by the thought that I might steal God’s blessings when I forget to, in response, bless God. How might this day be transformed if I practice such a blessing? Bless the Lord, O my soul, for the beautiful sunrise. Bless the Lord, O my soul, for a warm cup of coffee on a chilly morning. Bless the Lord, O my soul, for a kind word from a stranger. Bless the Lord, O my soul, for brightly colored leaves, scattered on the ground. Bless the Lord, O my soul, for the gifts of God’s mercy and lovingkindness.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. God, as I go through this day, tune my heart to sing your praise for the many gifts you shower over me, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Today’s devotional was written and read by Greta Smith.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.