Read Psalms 103. How is God’s mercy portrayed here?

 Psalm 103 enumerates the Lord’s manifold blessings. The blessings include “all his benefits” (Ps. 103:2) for a flourishing life (Ps. 103:3-6). These blessings are grounded in God’s gracious character and in His faithfulness to His covenant with Israel (Ps. 103:7-18). The Lord “remembers” human frailty and transience and has compassion on His people (see Ps. 103:13-17).

 Remembering is more than mere cognitive activity. It involves a commitment that is expressed in action: God delivers and sustains His people (Ps. 103:3-13). The powerful images in Psalm 103:11-16 illustrate the immeasurable greatness of God’s grace, which can be compared only to the infinite vastness of the heavens (Isa. 55:9).

 How, then, should people respond to God’s loving-kindness?

 First, by blessing the Lord (Ps. 103:1, 2).

 Blessing is generally understood as an act of bestowing material and spiritual benefits upon someone (Gen. 49:25, Ps. 5:12). Because God is the Source of all blessings, how can human beings bless God? An inferior can bless a superior as a means of thanking or praising him (1 Kings 8:66, Job 29:13). God blesses people by conferring good on them, and people bless God by praising the good in Him; that is, by revering Him for His gracious character.

 Second, by remembering all His benefits and His covenant (Ps. 103:2, 18-22), just as the Lord remembers the feeble human condition and His covenant with His people (Ps. 103:3-13). Remembering is a crucial aspect of the relationship between God and His people. Just as God remembers His promises to the people, so the people are indebted to remember God’s faithfulness and respond to God with love and obedience.

 With this idea in mind, these famous words of Ellen G. White are so appropriate: “It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 83.