Daily Devotional | Complain or Praise?

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to complain about your life? The late Andy Rooney from 60 Minutes was a notorious complainer. He once said, “Everything you buy today is smaller, more expensive, and not as good as it was yesterday.” While there may be some truth to his observation, as believers we have many more reasons to rejoice than complain. Psalm 103 is a beautiful reminder of why we should celebrate the great goodness of God and all our second chances.

Psalm 103 is an “inclusio,” meaning it starts and ends with the same phrase, “Praise the LORD, O my soul” (vv. 1, 22). David tells us why the Lord is worthy of praise. For instance, the Lord forgives and heals (v. 3), redeems and crowns (v. 4), and satisfies and renews (v. 5). He cares for the oppressed and seeks their justice (v. 6). David reminds his readers of Yahweh’s grace to their ancestors as they were brought out of Egypt and God made them into a nation (vv. 7–10). Many believe that the God in the Old Testament is an angry, wrathful God, but David reminds us that God is compassionate and loving, like a father to his children (vv. 13–18).

He concludes his psalm by declaring that everyone, everywhere is to praise the Lord for all His works (vv. 19–22). Praising God may seem difficult in a world of complainers but reading through David’s psalm reminds us how grateful we ought to be. Remembering everything God has done and continues to do for us, gives us opportunity after opportunity to praise and serve Him.

>> Praising God means taking time to reflect on what He has done for His people (v. 3), having a holy fear of Him (v. 17), obeying His commands (v. 18), and being obedient to His will (v. 21). Today, let’s praise Him for who He is and what He has done.