Psalm 103:1-5 - Satisfied and Renewed

In Psalm 103:1-5, David wants us to remember all the wonderful benefits that the LORD has personally blessed us with. He lists at least seven of them in these first verses. Moses had told the people of Israel in the Book of Deuteronomy that they should not forget the blessings of the LORD at least fourteen times, and nine times he cautioned them not to forget (Deut. 32:18). So often, as we get so busy with work, family, and life, we easily forget the blessings of the LORD and what He does for us every day!   David reminds us of the benefits of the LORD’s forgiveness, of His healing, of His redemption, of His lovingkindness, and of His tender mercies. Today we want to look at the last two that he mentions in verse 5, satisfaction and renewal.   There is no real satisfaction in this world. The pleasures and things of this world might give us some temporary feelings of happiness and satisfaction, but they will not last. Money, fame, family, friends, education, achievements, success and a host of other things promise us satisfaction, but they always come short of fulfilling the deepest need of our souls. Jesus warned us in Mark 8:36-37, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”   We are born with a “void”, an empty hole deep in our soul that only God can fill. Remember the woman at the well in John 4? She had come to draw water and Jesus was there. He asked her for a drink, and this started a conversation with her. Then Jesus made an astounding statement. “If you knew who I am, and you would have ask me for a drink I would have given you living water.” She replied, “How can you, since you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep”. “Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:13-14).   This woman had desperately been drinking of the water of this world to find satisfaction! She had been married five times and was presently living with a man who was not her husband! All her earthly relationships left her empty. Only Jesus who is the Water of Life, and the Bread of Life (John 6:33-40), can satisfied our deepest need of salvation and hope! Jesus is the Good Shepherd who leads us into green pastures (Psalm 23:3). He alone can forgive us of our sins and give us life and give it to us more abundantly (John 10:10).   The LORD alone is the One, “Who satisfies your mouth with good things” (v. 5a). The word translated "mouth" is a bit of a puzzle since it is usually translated "ornaments" or "jewelry," words that hardly fit this context. Some students interpret the word to mean "duration" or "years". Which means, no matter how old we become, God can always satisfy the needs of our lives and the spiritual desires of our hearts. Jesus said, “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled (satisfied)” (Matthew 5:6). Jesus is the “righteousness of God” (1 Corinthians 1:30).   My friend, the person who seeks and finds the true righteousness of God in Jesus Christ through His Word and salvation will also find renewal! “So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's” (v. 5b). Do you need “renewal” today? You will find it as you wait on the LORD! Isaiah 40:28-31 assures us: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”   God bless!