Listen up, little ones
Listen for the words all, LORD.
Reading
Psalm 103-He Heals All Your Diseases
Optional Reading
Mark 5:21-34
Keys for kids
- We should consider all God's wonders.
- We should do that with all of our being.
- God, in Jesus, forgives and heals.
Questions
- What does it mean for us to bless the LORD?
- What is the connection between forgiveness and healing?
- Will all of our diseases be healed? Explain.
Notes
(See Saturday for authors. Today's notes are from a commentary on the Psalms by Christopher Ash.)
My soul means my being, focused especially on myself as one who has desires and delights. This is intensified to all (the first "all" of the psalm) that is within me-my body, my heart, my will, my emotions, my affections, my feelings, my appetites, my desires.
After the emphatic repetition of Bless the LORD, O my soul, the King's focus shifts to all (the second "all") the benefits of the covenant Lord given to the King and to his people. ...
First, he forgives all (the third "all") your iniquity (cf. the prayer of Moses in Ex. 34:9 and the new covenant promise of Jer. 31:34). This is the foundational benefit of the psalm, for, as John Calvin says, "Reconciliation with him is the fountain from which all other blessings flow." ...
Second, forgiveness is linked with the healing of all (the fourth "all") your diseases. ... The connection between forgiveness and healing is profound (see on Pss. 6; 38), for death entered the world because of sin (Rom. 5:12), and only the sin bearer can remove the curse. This restorative work was foreshadowed in Christ's earthly ministry (cf. Matt. 8:17; Mark 2:1-12) and will be fulfilled at the end of this age. It may also be experienced in a partial sense in this life (James 5:15-16).
Swedish Method questions
Praise
Psalm 103a, 51d
Prayer
- Pray for God's healing as you and others have need.
- Pray for a specific application from yesterday’s sermons.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.