DCLM Daily Manna 20 August 2023 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Our Merciful Lord
TOPIC: Our Merciful Lord (DCLM Daily Manna 20 August 2023)
KEY VERSE: “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Psalm 103:8).
TEXT: Psalm 103:1-22 (KJV)
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;
18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
20 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.
MESSAGE:
Mercy, someone said, is a gift given to the guilty. In the law courts, it is usually when a case is concluded and the defendant found guilty that the defence pleads for mercy. Divine mercy then is God’s gift to sinful man who although deserves punishment for his sinfulness, yet receives unconditional pardon from a loving Lord.
In the text for today, the psalmist exalts and praises God with a sense of gratitude and appreciation for who He is. Several times in the passage, he uses the phrase “bless the Lord”. He did this in recognition of the mercies of the Lord and because of the many benefits that God has given to His children. The benefits include, forgiveness of sins, healing, satisfaction with good things and physical and spiritual renewal.
The psalmist further identifies God’s love and mercies as endless. “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10). He also sees God’s love and mercies as non-discriminatory. He, therefore, calls on every creature to bless the Lord.
We must recognise that “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed”. More so, it is “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). We must reciprocate this uncommon love and mercy of God by appreciating Him at all times and in all places, and serving Him to the uttermost!
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
God’s mercies are inalienable and new every morning.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Job 37–42
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
