Remembering God's Goodness: Emotions and Spiritual Discipline
Summary
### Summary
Today, we delved into Psalm 103, exploring the profound lessons it offers about handling our emotions and remembering God's goodness. The Psalms, written by David, reflect a wide range of human emotions, from joy to despair, and teach us to bring these emotions to God in prayer. Instead of venting or suppressing our feelings, we are encouraged to pray them, knowing that God is not afraid of our raw, gritty language. He already knows our hearts and wants us to come to Him with everything, including our joy.
Psalm 103 specifically calls us to remember God's benefits and blessings. Forgetting is a common human trait, but the Bible repeatedly commands us to remember. This act of remembering is not just a mental exercise but a spiritual discipline that involves bringing God's truths to the center of our consciousness. We are reminded of God's forgiveness, justice, compassion, everlasting love, and sovereignty. These attributes of God are not just theological concepts but practical truths that should shape our daily lives.
We are prone to forget God's past faithfulness, especially when life is good. However, it is crucial to remember His goodness during these times so that we are spiritually prepared for the challenges that will inevitably come. The act of remembering helps us live an abundant Christian life, filled with joy and hope. It also keeps us grounded in the truth that God is sovereign and in control, even when the world around us seems chaotic.
### Key Takeaways
1. Pray Your Emotions: The Psalms teach us to bring our emotions to God in prayer, whether they are feelings of joy, anger, fear, or anxiety. God is not afraid of our raw, gritty language and wants us to be honest with Him. This practice helps us process our emotions in a healthy, spiritual way. [31:58]
2. The Discipline of Remembering: Remembering God's past faithfulness is a spiritual discipline that involves more than just recalling events. It means bringing God's truths to the center of our consciousness. This act of remembering helps us live a joyful and abundant Christian life, grounded in the reality of God's goodness. [36:11]
3. God's Forgiveness is Complete: Psalm 103 reminds us that God forgives our sins completely, casting them as far as the east is from the west. This imagery emphasizes the totality of God's forgiveness, encouraging us to live in the freedom that comes from being forgiven and to extend that forgiveness to others. [45:40]
4. God's Compassion and Understanding: God is compassionate and understands our weaknesses. He knows our frame and remembers that we are dust. This understanding should comfort us and encourage us to come to Him with all our struggles, knowing that He is a compassionate Father who cares deeply for us. [54:36]
5. God's Everlasting Love and Sovereignty: God's love for us is everlasting, and His sovereignty is absolute. These truths provide a firm foundation for our faith, especially in times of uncertainty. Remembering God's everlasting love and His control over all things helps us trust Him more fully and live with greater peace and confidence. [58:15]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[26:11] - Back-to-School Bash Announcement
[28:09] - Everyone Invite One Sundays
[29:32] - Introduction to Psalm 103
[30:38] - The Emotional Range of the Psalms
[31:58] - Praying Our Emotions
[33:22] - Bringing Joy to God
[35:48] - The Importance of Remembering
[36:11] - Psalm 103:1-2
[37:16] - The Abundant Christian Life
[39:48] - The Challenge of Remembering
[41:22] - Biblical Examples of Remembering
[42:46] - The Purpose of Church and Devotions
[45:11] - Remembering God's Forgiveness
[48:52] - The Call to Forgive Others
[50:36] - Remembering God's Justice
[52:48] - Remembering God's Compassion
[56:15] - Remembering Our Frame
[58:15] - Remembering God's Everlasting Love
[01:00:16] - Remembering God's Sovereignty
[01:02:00] - Closing Prayer and Invitation
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
- Psalm 103:1-5
- Psalm 103:8-14
- Psalm 103:17-19
#### Observation Questions
1. What does Psalm 103:1-2 encourage us to do with our souls and our memories? ([36:11])
2. According to Psalm 103:3-5, what are some of the benefits and blessings that God provides? ([45:11])
3. How does Psalm 103:8-14 describe God's compassion and understanding towards us? ([54:36])
4. What does Psalm 103:17-19 say about the nature of God's love and sovereignty? ([58:15])
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why is it important to remember God's benefits and blessings, as mentioned in Psalm 103:1-2? How does this act of remembering impact our daily lives? ([36:11])
2. How does the imagery of God casting our sins "as far as the east is from the west" in Psalm 103:12 help us understand the completeness of His forgiveness? ([45:40])
3. In what ways does Psalm 103:13-14 provide comfort regarding God's understanding of our weaknesses? How should this influence our approach to God with our struggles? ([54:36])
4. How does recognizing God's everlasting love and sovereignty, as described in Psalm 103:17-19, help us trust Him more fully during uncertain times? ([58:15])
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you brought your emotions to God in prayer. How did it help you process those emotions? How can you make this a regular practice? ([31:58])
2. What are some practical ways you can cultivate the discipline of remembering God's past faithfulness in your daily life? Consider journaling, setting reminders, or sharing testimonies with others. ([36:11])
3. How does understanding the completeness of God's forgiveness encourage you to forgive others? Is there someone you need to forgive, and what steps can you take to do so? ([45:40])
4. Think about a recent struggle or weakness you have faced. How can you remind yourself of God's compassion and understanding in those moments? ([54:36])
5. In what areas of your life do you need to trust in God's everlasting love and sovereignty more fully? How can you remind yourself of these truths daily? ([58:15])
6. How can you ensure that you bring your emotions of joy and gladness to God, not just your struggles and fears? What are some ways you can express your gratitude and happiness to Him? ([34:12])
7. Identify a specific way you can help others remember God's goodness and faithfulness. How can you encourage your family, friends, or small group to practice this discipline together? ([42:46])
Devotional
Day 1: Pray Your Emotions
The Psalms teach us to bring our emotions to God in prayer, whether they are feelings of joy, anger, fear, or anxiety. God is not afraid of our raw, gritty language and wants us to be honest with Him. This practice helps us process our emotions in a healthy, spiritual way. [31:58]
Psalm 62:8 (ESV): "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us."
Reflection: Think about a recent emotion you have been struggling with. Can you take a moment today to bring that emotion to God in prayer, expressing it honestly and openly?
Day 2: The Discipline of Remembering
Remembering God's past faithfulness is a spiritual discipline that involves more than just recalling events. It means bringing God's truths to the center of our consciousness. This act of remembering helps us live a joyful and abundant Christian life, grounded in the reality of God's goodness. [36:11]
Deuteronomy 8:2 (ESV): "And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not."
Reflection: Take a few minutes to write down three specific instances where you have experienced God's faithfulness in your life. How can remembering these moments help you trust Him more today?
Day 3: God's Forgiveness is Complete
Psalm 103 reminds us that God forgives our sins completely, casting them as far as the east is from the west. This imagery emphasizes the totality of God's forgiveness, encouraging us to live in the freedom that comes from being forgiven and to extend that forgiveness to others. [45:40]
Micah 7:19 (ESV): "He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea."
Reflection: Is there a sin or mistake you have been holding onto, feeling unforgiven? Can you ask God to help you accept His complete forgiveness and let go of the guilt today?
Day 4: God's Compassion and Understanding
God is compassionate and understands our weaknesses. He knows our frame and remembers that we are dust. This understanding should comfort us and encourage us to come to Him with all our struggles, knowing that He is a compassionate Father who cares deeply for us. [54:36]
Psalm 103:13-14 (ESV): "As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust."
Reflection: Reflect on a current struggle or weakness you are facing. How can you bring this to God today, trusting in His compassion and understanding?
Day 5: God's Everlasting Love and Sovereignty
God's love for us is everlasting, and His sovereignty is absolute. These truths provide a firm foundation for our faith, especially in times of uncertainty. Remembering God's everlasting love and His control over all things helps us trust Him more fully and live with greater peace and confidence. [58:15]
Isaiah 54:10 (ESV): "For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you."
Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to trust God's sovereignty more? How can remembering His everlasting love help you find peace in this area today?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "The key to living the abundant Christian life is remembering. It's remembering. We sang that song just a minute ago. Charlie did a great job on it. The band did a great job today. Thank you guys. And that song, it strikes a tone with me because I remember hearing that song for the first time when I was walking through something hard. And I remember to begin to pray. I learned to pray really during that time." [36:46] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Remembering is hard. He is good. And it's the key for us living this abundant, this joyful, this hopeful Christian life. We're in the middle of a political season. I bet you didn't forget about that. You're going to need to remember the goodness and grace of God in the middle of a political season. Otherwise, you will get trapped into the idea that these guys are our saviors. And they are not." [43:57] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "The Lord chooses this image very clearly to say, I'm casting your sin as far as east is from the west to say, it's done. And he's going to remember it no more. Does that mean that God doesn't remember that you sinned? No, he's sovereign. He remembers what you did. He remembers what you said. He remembers. But it means he's going to, it's not going to be held on your account anymore. He forgives you. He forgives you." [47:40] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "The steadfast love of the lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him and his righteousness to children's children. The steadfast love of the lord is from everlasting to everlasting. Jason Crandall has lived from 1981 to 2024 and lord willing much longer but his steadfast love is from everlasting to everlasting east and west stuff there guys his steadfast love towards you has been a never-ending amount of love towards you." [58:15] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "The key to coming to God, over and over and over again is then to remember. Remember some things. Psalm 103, we're going to start in verse one and two. Here it is. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, oh my soul. And what's that next word? Forget not. Forget not all his benefits." [35:48] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "What the Psalms do is they teach us something different. They teach us not to vent our emotions. They teach us not to stuff our emotions. They teach us to pray our emotions. So anger, we take this to God. Fear, we talked about three weeks ago. We take this to the Lord. Anxiety, we take this to the Lord." [31:58] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "The key to living a life that enjoys God, not just goes to the hand of God to get, but enjoys God, is to remember. Is to remember. Is to remember. It is easy, it is easy to forget though. The word remember or forget happens, is given just under 200 times in the Bible. Because guess what? You forget. I forget. Because we are, we have to learn to remember." [37:58] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Remember that God forgives you. Psalm 103, 3-5 says, Who forgives all your iniquity? Who heals all your diseases? Who redeems your life from the pit? Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy? Who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagles? Later on in this psalm, it says, He casts our sin as far as the east is from the west. He forgives you." [45:11] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "Remember God is just. Verse six, the lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses his acts to the people of Israel. God is just he says if we confess our sins he's faithful and remember that word just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness but why why is it justice to forgive and cleanse sinners from sin it feels like we confess our sins he's faithful and kind he's faithful and gracious he's faithful and good he's faithful and really really really nice oh but he's just why is he just he's just because all that sin went on the shoulders of Jesus on a cross." [50:36] (63 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "Remember God’s compassion. The lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding and steadfast love i'm so god i'm so god i'm still not god i'm so glad that god is slow to anger have you thought about that for a second just think about that for a second the stuff that people have like all right i had the joy of hanging out with some some preschoolers yesterday on the back patio so fun part of the reason it was fun is i love their little voices it's the best little voice and i still remember my kids little voices i play the i play the facebook video recordings of them all the time and i'm like i can't believe they sounded like that parents of preschoolers record it so you don't forget it because when they get older they're still awesome i have the joy of playing with them back there and then i have the joy of leaving i got to play and then i'm out but uh i'm just remembering the life of dealing with preschoolers how they weren't very um they were pretty quick to anger." [52:48] (81 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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