Some psalms are addressed to God, some are written as exhortations to other people. But as Psalm 103 begins, the author is speaking to himself. If people could decipher your thoughts when you “talk” to yourself, what kind of message would they hear? Hopefully, they would be exposed to a catalog of God’s goodness, a detailed list of the many blessings that daily surround you. In the case of David the psalmist, this grateful praise would not be called into question by a lack of energy. He rouses himself to bless God with “all that is within” him. He does not want to do it superficially, but with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. How easy it is to offer thanksgiving to God, silently or verbally, even while our affections are strangely unmoved (v 1). David desires to honor God with “all” his inmost being, conscious of “all” the benefits he has received from God’s hand, including the forgiveness of “all” his sins and the healing of “all” his diseases. It is a great blessing to know that God cares about our bodies as well as our souls. But when we confess sins, the LORD forgives them right now; when we pray for healing, our suffering may not be removed right now. Why is that? Some teach that those Christ saves have a right to be healed of any affliction, if only they have enough faith. But this theology is not Biblical. It is true that Christ has purchased our healing, but this gift will not be fully realized until we are given new, glorified bodies at His coming. In the meantime, every physical recovery is a foretaste of heaven, and it is God who has done it, even if the healing occurred through medical care. So why does God sometimes choose to not bring healing to us more quickly, since He forgives sins immediately? Because our relationship with Him is paramount. While sin always blocks our fellowship with God, our suffering can actually deepen it (v 2-5). As David continues listing the blessings of the LORD, he expands his language to include all of God’s people. Meditating on the glorious revelation given to Moses at Sinai, he is struck by the wonder of God’s grace and mercy. God is so different from us! We are quick-tempered and we hold grudges. When people wrong us, we want them to pay somehow. But God is slow to anger, He sent His Son to provide for our forgiveness, and then He remembers our sins no more. Only the cross would reveal what it would cost God to punish our sin without punishing us. Infinite distances (“as far as the east is from the west”) are used to convey this infinite love (v 6-12). For further meditation: