So dry grow the grass and the woodlands, the soil and the air, without His blessing from heaven, it gets scary. Then, at last, comes the blessing:

How I thank Him this week…

~for wet grass…

~and puddles with drops making circles..

~and moisture washing off birch catkin pollen.

~for novelty of April snow.

~for replenishing the water table, the springs in this wilderness, the wells of earthly water…

…..

So dry my life, my mind and heart and soul once grew, living apart from Him, that this got even scarier.

So, savoring the many REASONS of Psalm 103, REASONS TO PRAISE HIM (below), my heart wells up to thank Him also…

~For overwhelming mountains of benefits He’s showered on my life, my heart, my soul:

~for forgiving me all my iniquities (so many) (Ps 103:3)

~for redeeming my life from destruction (and oh, it came so close!) (Ps 103:4)

~for pouring out on me His tender mercies and lovingkindness (Hebrew checed = boundless, merciful, steadfast, deep, strong love — for which we have no adequate English word) (Ps 103:4) I deserved none of this.

~for healing so many body afflictions:

~the sickness that nearly took my life as a small child,

~the Lyme disease of years ago that never recurred

~the herniated disc so bad I could only drag my leg and thought I’d never run or jump again (I can both run and jump for joy!)

~for allergies that once ran me down all year and set me up for every cold or flu that came along and plagued my winters with sickness —  now so lessened that this winter just past brought no flus or even colds, beyond a momentary sniffle

~and someday, all my diseases will be healed, completely, forever!

~For satisfying my mouth with good things, renewing my youth like the eagle’s, with well-being better now than ten or fifteen years past.

~For His promise to bring about righteous judgment and justice for me (in His time) (Ps 103:6)

~For making His ways known to little me

~For showing me actual miracles

~as well as providential happenings, so frequent, so timely, so beyond Probability’s laws, I like to call them miracles, too.

(But there’s too much to tell about all this in just one post,

So, more another time…)

…..

Counting more…

REASONS (IN GOD HIMSELF) TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP HIM

137 –He is a God of many benefits (Ps 103:2)  

138 – He is willing to forgive all one’s iniquities (Ps 103:3)

139 – He redeems lives from destruction (Ps 103:4)

140 – He crowns people with lovingkindness (Ps 103:4)

141 – He crowns people with tender mercies (Ps 103:4)

142 – He satisfies people’s mouths with good things, so that their youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Ps 103:5).

143- He brings about righteous judgment and justice for all who are oppressed (in His time) (Ps 103:6)

144 – He condescended to make known His ways to little man (to Moses) (Ps 103:7)

145 – He made known His miraculous acts to His people in history (Israel) (Ps 103:7)

146 – He is merciful (Ps 103:8)

147 – He is gracious (Ps 103:8)

148 – He is slow to anger (Ps 103:8)

149 – He is plenteous in mercy (Ps 103:8).

150 – He will not always strive with us (Ps 103:9),

151 – He does not hold onto His anger forever (Ps 103:9)

152 – He doesn’t deal with His children according to what their sins deserve (Ps 103:10)

153 – He doesn’t punish them according to their iniquities (Ps 103:10).

154 – As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him (Psa 103:11)

155 – As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Ps 103:12)

156 – As a compassionate father pities his children, so He pities (has compassion on) those who fear Him (Ps 103:13)        

157 – He knows our frame, how we are made (Psa 103:14)

158 – He remembers that we are dust (Ps 103:14)

159 – He is so much greater, in His everlasting might and immortality, by comparison our days are but like grass gone in a wind’s breath (Psa 103:15-16)        

160 – But His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him (Psa 103:17)        

161 – His righteousness extends to children’s children, to such as keep His covenant, who remember and do His commandments (Psa 103:17-18)

162 – He has established His throne in heaven (Psa 103:19)

163 – His kingdom rules over all (Psa 103:19)

*****

Linked to

Multitudes on Monday

 10,000 Reasons