Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” Psalm 103:2
It’s easier to count our burdens than our blessings.
Psychologists refer to this phenomenon as ‘negativity bias,’ describing our tendency to focus more on the negative than the positive. It’s like Charles Spurgeon once said, “Many people write their blessings in the sand, but engrave their sorrows in marble.”
Most mornings, my sorrows are the first thing on my mind. If you asked me to, I could jot down a list of my problems in a matter of minutes. I’d even have it alphabetized, color-coded, and categorized, from the most stressful to the least.
But listing the blessings in my life?
Well, that would entail more effort. I might even need a nudge to get the thoughts flowing.
Fortunately, Psalm 103 gives me that nudge.
David, the author of the psalm, was no stranger to life’s burdens. Yet, he refused to succumb to his own negativity bias by challenging his soul not to “forget the benefits” of being a child of God. David deliberately shifted his focus from what was bad in his life to everything good about God.
The “benefits of the Lord” are too numerous to name, but David lists a few he’d personally experienced. The Lord “forgives,” “heals,” “redeems,” “crowns us with love,” and “satisfies our desires with good things” (Psalm 103:2-5). David knew each of these benefits flowed out of God’s character, the essence of His nature- “compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love.” (Psalm 103:8). Genuine praise doesn’t just worship the Lord for what He gives us; it adores Him for who He is.
So, how could we “forget” to praise a God who is so wonderfully amazing?
Well, life has a way of making us forgetful. We become preoccupied with the daily grind. The burdens start piling up, and the next thing you know, our walk with the Lord fades to the background. We forget His blessings faster than the geometry we learned in high school.
In Scripture, to “forget” means more than just a lapse of memory; it means to disregard or neglect. And our gradual neglect of God has dire consequences.
We grow spiritually apathetic. We question His goodness. Focusing on our burdens impacts our attitude, leading to feelings of sorrow, resentment, or even overwhelming despair.
However, shifting our focus to who He is and what He’s done, especially through Christ, might not change our circumstances, but man, does it change our outlook. It gives us strength for today and endurance for tomorrow. “Not forgetting His benefits” revives our faith and saturates our hearts with gratitude.
Gratitude is our intentional decision not to take His blessings for granted. It is our weapon against the enemy who wants us to focus on what God hasn’t done in our lives, instead of the abundance of things He has done.
So, take a moment today to do what David did and preach to yourself. List His benefits. Count the full scope of His blessings, from the shirt on your back to the salvation of your soul. Thank Him for His mercy, His Word, His patience, and His daily grace. Stubbornly refuse to listen to your negativity bias. The truth is, if you are in Christ, your blessings always exceed your burdens.
This isn’t about ignoring your pain or pretending your problems don’t exist. Believe me, I understand. They are very real.
Remembering His benefits is about magnifying His blessings and minimizing your burdens.
And the more you do that, the more your heart will overflow with love for the Giver of every good thing (James 1:17).
DIG DEEPER
Read “Weighed Down By Everyday Burdens?” also by Jonathan Munson
