The Psalm, A Psalm of David, echoes the theme in the Gospel reading about the Lord who is kind and merciful. We do not know when this Psalm was written, but we know that David knew the grace and forgiveness of God and had experienced the same at many different times in his life. In this Psalm, David calls on himself and his own soul to honour God. Perhaps he sees himself as not honouring God enough,
not praising God enough and that he needs to do more.
True worship is deeply inward. It comes from the deepest parts of us, from our soul, not just outward forms of expression. Our worship needs to be more than superficial. It needs to be as complete and as deep as possible. We need to praise God with everything that is within us. So often, our praise and thanksgiving are feeble and half-hearted. We come to church or spend time with God, but our mind is
wandering and not entirely focused on him. In these verses, David is telling us that we must be fully attentive to praise God in a worthy and acceptable way.
David also mentions the forgiveness of all our sins in this Psalm. He also reminds us that we need to praise and honour God for this. To David, the most important thing was to be forgiven. Although he describes the righteousness and justice of God, he also highlights God's grace and abounding mercy and goodness. God knows our weaknesses and faults, yet he continues to comfort and forgive us. He
continues to show his compassion towards us.
God does not exclude anyone in his mercy and forgiveness. He has an inclusive nature that works for justice for all who are oppressed. God loves us as a parent would love their child, with forgiving and undeserved love. God's love for us is far-reaching and knows no end.
When have you felt the grace and love of God in your life?
