Psalms 103:2, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”
This is a command impossible to keep if it means to individualise each blessing. The Lord’s benefits are so many that we cannot number them let alone remember them all. We could sooner know and remember the names of the stars than recount all the Lord’s gifts. The Lord however does not expect us to number and name them all. There is a chorus:- Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done. This really cannot be done. What the Psalmist means is that he must never forget that the Lord abundantly blesses him; that he has all blessings in Christ. While he cannot name every one, he knows in his heart the basket of blessings is full. That’s what we are to remember. We might paraphrase the text, “and forget not His full basket of blessing.” In the basket there are innumerable grains of blessing, but there are also many jewels and diamonds that stand out. These we can count and remember. They indeed can be named one by one. Always we will remember the jewel of great price, the precious diamond, the unspeakable gift, even our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Basil of Caesarea, Cappadocia (326-379) has lovely words on God’s benefits towards us. “What reward shall we give unto the Lord, for all the benefits he hath bestowed? From the cheerless gloom of non-existence he waked us into being; he ennobled us with understanding; he taught us arts to promote the means of life; he commanded the prolific earth to yield its nurture; he bade the animals to own us as their lords. For us the rains descend; for us the sun sheddeth abroad its creative beams; the mountains rise, the valleys bloom, affording us grateful habitation and a sheltering retreat. For us the rivers flow; for us the fountains murmur; the sea opens its bosom to admit our commerce; the earth exhausts its stores; each new object presents a new enjoyment; all nature pouring her treasures at our feet, through the bounteous grace of him who wills that all be ours” Comments are closed.
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