Forget Not All His Benefits: The Battle for Remembrance in the Christian Life

Psalm 103

One of the greatest struggles in the Christian journey isn’t a lack of knowledge—it’s

forgetfulness. Psalm 103 launches not with a plea or confession, but with David

speaking to himself: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." The

psalmist knows our deepest problem isn’t what we don’t know, but what slips from our

hearts when life gets hard. Encouraging words and experiences fade, while painful

memories and hurts stubbornly stay. As one writer observes, our hearts seem to be like

"Teflon" for good things, but "Velcro" for the bad.

Why Must We Remember?

Biblical remembering goes deeper than mental recall. It means holding truth so close,

so central, that it shapes our reactions and emotions. God doesn’t literally forget our

sins—He chooses not to let them define His relationship with us. Our spiritual

forgetfulness is a heart issue: we lose grip of truths that should sustain us, letting old

wounds or fears speak louder than God’s promises. "Remembering" in this sense is a

discipline, something that must be cultivated and fought for daily.

Where Does This Battle Take Place?

David shows us that the battleground is our soul. Often, we spend more time listening

to our fears or insecurities than preaching truth to ourselves. Whether it’s the sting of

criticism at work or the pain of rejection, our default response is often to spiral into

negativity. But Psalm 103 calls us to talk back—to remind our souls of who God is and

what He has done. Biblical meditation is not emptying the mind or hyping ourselves up,

but filling our hearts with God’s truth until it becomes vivid and real.

What Must We Remember?

David urges: "Forget not all his benefits." He lists them—God’s forgiveness, healing,

redemption, love, satisfaction, and justice. Above all, he celebrates the gospel itself: "As

far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." This

isn’t just a feel-good mantra; it’s a daily anchor. Remembering also involves recalling the

cost: Jesus was forsaken so we could be remembered. His sacrifice secures our

forgiveness, our adoption, and our unshakeable place in God’s family—truths we must

keep at the core of our consciousness every day.

Application Questions:

1. What negative memories or wounds do you find most difficult to let go of? How have

these shaped your emotions or actions more than God’s promises?

2. In what situations are you most likely to forget God’s benefits or let fear and self-

doubt take control?

3. What practical steps could you take this week to remind your soul of God’s truth (for

example, reading Psalm 103, journaling God’s past faithfulness, speaking Scripture

aloud)?

4. How does remembering the cost of your forgiveness in Christ (that He was forsaken

so you could be remembered) change the way you face feelings of shame, guilt, or

inadequacy?

5. Is there someone you need to forgive or extend grace to, remembering the grace God

has shown you?

Let’s commit to the discipline of active remembering, preaching God’s truth to our

Hearts, so that His benefits—not our hurts—shape how we live today.