The Song of Faithfulness

After peering into the darkness of a searching heart in a dry land, we will consider a hymn of praise this Sunday as we gather for worship at Seneca Presbyterian. It's Psalm 103 - one of the most beautiful psalms in the psalter. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name." As with so many of the psalms, this one has been set to music often. You can join me in dating yourself if this lyric sounds familiar:

 Oh bless the Lord my soul. His praise to thee proclaim, and all that is within me 

join to bless His holy name. Oh yeah! 

Oh bless the Lord my soul. His mercies bear in mind. 

Forget not all His benefits. The Lord to thee is kind. 

 That, of course, is the Godspell version, and if you can hear it singing within you, then the joy of that exuberant moment of the stage production must live in your memory as it does in mine. The fact that this psalm appears in a musical version of the Gospel of Matthew reminds us that Jesus would have known and sung these words in praise to the God he worshiped and served. 

Aside from its pure joy, this psalm reflects the heart of Hebrew faith. Whenever our ancestors heard it, they would have remembered a story about a broken covenant and the profoundly real anger of God. You see - when the psalmist says God will not "keep His anger forever," he is not speaking metaphorically. Perhaps you already know the story, but I'll give you a hint. It has something to do with gold and calves.

We'll remember that story this Sunday as we seek to understand the meaning of the Hebrew word hesed - which is most often translated steadfast love.We hear it four times in this psalm. A quick search of the book of Psalms turns up 245 occurrences in 121 sections - which I take to mean that the steadfast love of God is referenced in 121 of the 150 psalms, with multiple occurrences in many. In that department, Psalm 136 wins the prize. 

The joy of Psalm 103 is centered in a God who knows us, loves us, and forgives us - and around whom we can center our lives. As you prepare for worship on Sunday, ponder the wonder of that God and when His steadfast love has been real for you. Then let your "whole being" honor and bless His holy name.