The song of mercy - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.
Psalm 103:2

The song of mercy
The part of our memory where we store facts and events is called episodic memory. This area of our memory is also spoken of in Psalm 103. There, King David exhorts himself to praise God and not to forget His benefits. What an attitude worthy of imitation at the beginning of the year!

When we read the whole psalm, we sense how it is filled with gratitude - and with admiration for God's goodness. Luther called this psalm the "song of mercy" because it describes in impressive words how gracious and merciful God is. The psalmist gratefully remembers that God is pleased to forgive everyone: He "who forgives all your iniquities" (v. 3). And as the psalm continues, David records how completely God forgives when we admit our guilt before Him: "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (v. 12).

Moreover, David emphasises that it is possible to experience God's goodness even in old age, when life becomes troublesome (v. 5). Further, he illustrates God's mercy by saying, "As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him" (v. 13). We understand this image from family life very well. The only question is whether we are among those who have the greatest respect for God.

We must realise that our life on earth is in vain if we do not entrust ourselves completely to God. He is a merciful God who does not treat the believer according to his sins (v. 10). It is therefore understandable that the psalmist exclaims at the end of the psalm, "Bless the Lord, O my soul!"

Today's reading: Numbers 1:1-21 · Matthew 1:1-17