January 17

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds— He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion, who satisfies you with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. — Ps 103:2-5 BSB

What a list of divine blessings this is! Each one of them is worth more than all the treasures of the world combined.

If we are not forgiven, we must carry the heavy burden of sin forever—a weight far greater than any mountain. But God forgives, and not just some of our sins, but all of them. He forgives freely, fully, and forever!

If we are not healed, we remain spiritually sick, infected by the plague of sin. But God heals, and He heals all our sicknesses—completely!

If we are not saved from the dangers of this world, we will never reach heaven. But God saves us from every destruction that threatens us.

Earthly crowns are made of thorns, or at best, what children might call “play-crowns,” made of leaves that wither or gems that fade. But God crowns His people with love and compassion, and these crowns are real and eternal. They will never fade but will shine forever as crowns of life and glory in heaven.

This world can never satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. Its riches only leave us hungrier. But God satisfies the souls of His people with good things, filling all our needs with eternal realities.