Convictions and Daily Encouragement (Psalm 101–103)

What if the difference between despair and steady joy is the gap between belief and conviction? We walk through Psalms 101–103 and show how concrete “I will” commitments, honest lament, and active remembrance can reshape daily life. David’s nine vows in Psalm 101 move beyond theology on paper and into habits that hold under pressure: singing of steadfast love and justice, pondering a blameless way, walking with integrity at home, and guarding our eyes from what is worthless. These aren’t abstractions; they are daily rails for a turbulent world, the kind a divided nation and a fragile heart both desperately need.

Then the tone shifts. Psalm 102 speaks with the voice of someone faint with grief—bones burning, sleep fleeing, appetite gone, loneliness perched like a rooftop sparrow. We refuse to minimize that pain. Instead, we lift our gaze where the psalmist lifts his: “But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever.” God’s throne is higher than the tallest wave, yet never aloof. He regards the prayer of the destitute. That verb paints a vivid image of God turning toward the broken, giving full attention to those who feel invisible. From that assurance, the psalmist does something healing: he looks outward, recording hope for a future generation and imagining captives set free. Service becomes medicine for a soul stuck in its own echo.

Finally, Psalm 103 teaches us to talk back to ourselves with truth. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Gratitude is not denial; it is disciplined memory. We list God’s mercies—pardoning sin, healing the soul’s diseases, redeeming, crowning with steadfast love, renewing strength—and we watch despair loosen its grip. By pairing convictions with remembrance and compassion, we discover a simple pattern: adding blessings subtracts burdens. If you’re ready to move from knowing what is right to living it with a quiet, sturdy joy, press play and journey through these psalms with us. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs hope today, and leave a review to reach more listeners.

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Chapters

• 1:57 Belief Needs Conviction
• 3:37 David’s Nine “I Will” Commitments
• 5:20 Guarding Eyes And Private Integrity
• 7:07 Psalm 102: Naming Deep Despair
• 8:26 Turning Toward God’s Higher Throne
• 9:47 Hope Grows By Serving Others
• 10:36 Psalm 103: Talk Back To Yourself
• 11:39 Counting Blessings Heals The Soul
• 13:29 Closing Benediction And Resources

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:37

As you've read the Bible, you've probably developed some convictions regarding how you should live. Knowing how you should live is important, but it's actually living out those convictions in faith that gives you victory over despair and the fullness of God's blessings. And then, as you recall those blessings, that fills your worship with joy. Stephen is in Psalms 101 through 103 today. And this lesson is called Convictions and Daily Encouragement.

SPEAKER_01: 2:14

It's been a privilege to teach pastoral theology to students who are preparing for ministry as they study at Shepherd's Theological Seminary where I have served as president, training church leaders to hold firmly to sola scriptura, the scriptures alone. Well, I got to tell you, that is a thrill for me to teach. But I want to tell you, even in a seminary setting, it's possible to believe biblically without behaving biblically. In other words, it's possible to love to learn the Bible, but not live the Bible from day to day. Another seminary president that I admire put it this way: I fear that we may be turning out graduates with a great number of beliefs, but not enough conviction. Conviction gives belief a backbone. Theological truths aren't just floating around in your heart. They become concrete convictions in your life. That's sort of the setting as we arrive now at Psalm 101. This is the setting here, and it's a rather turbulent time for the newly crowned King David. The nation is divided. Many people who were loyal to King Saul, frankly, don't like David at all. And they're going to try to undermine his leadership. But David knows what kind of king God has called him to be. So this psalm becomes a psalm of convictions that David writes down. These are convictions that will put backbone to his beliefs. Now, there are nine convictions in this psalm, if you take time to count them out, which I have, and you can easily find and circle each of them because every one of them is marked by the words I will. Here in verse one, David says, I will sing of God's steadfast love and justice. Verse 2, I will ponder the way that is blameless. Now with that, David asks a question here in verse 2. Oh, when will you come to me? Now he's referring not to God, but to the Ark of the Covenant that needs to find its way back to Jerusalem. It was captured back in King Saul's day and it has since been recovered, but it still hasn't been brought back to Jerusalem where it belongs. So as David is worshiping God, as David is pondering the way of the blameless, David knows he needs the Lord's help. You see, David's conviction is that without the Lord's intimate presence in and through the ark, which symbolizes presence, David understands that his reign over Israel is going to fail. So at the end of verse 2, David states another conviction. He says, I will walk with integrity of heart within my house. You know, beloved, wouldn't it be great if more believers today said that if they if they lived that, if they behaved in their home like believers? You know, who you are in private is just as important as who you are in public. Well, here's another conviction. Verse three. I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I remember my parents typing out this verse on a little piece of paper and taping it on the upper left-hand corner of our family television. Every time my three brothers and I watch TV, there was that card, that verse staring back at us. I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. Now, of course, what David is writing about here describes just about everything today on television and the internet and everything else that could possibly be set before your eyes. So the question is this what steps are you going to take today to keep from your eyes, to keep from your attention, what is it that you're not going to focus on with your eyes that is worthless, that is that is sinful? It'll get in the way as you walk with Christ. You know, I can't help but think of what happens when David lets this particular conviction slide that day when he saw Bathsheba bathing down below. Well, he set this conviction aside, didn't he? And he pays a heavy price of consequences that will last a lifetime. Now here in Psalm 102, this particular anonymous author is struggling with some situation in life that's literally causing him to faint in depression and discouragement. In fact, the superscription at the top of this psalm reads this a prayer of one afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord. I want you to just listen to how this psalmist describes his life, and maybe you can identify with him because of something that you happen to be going through right now. He writes here in verse three, for my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. In other words, I just ache all over. My heart is struck down like grass and is withered. I forget to eat my bread. Verse six says, I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places. I lie awake, says I can't sleep. He goes on, I am like a lonely sparrow on the house top. Well, what do you do to battle this kind of depression, this kind of despair? Well, uh the psalmist is going to give us a clue or two here as his tone uh changes from despair to hope. He writes here in verse twelve, but you, O Lord, are enthroned forever. He's recognizing uh the truth, isn't he? That while those stormy waves might be incredibly high, God's throne is still higher. But you might be asking yourself the question, is God's throne so high up there that he's not going to bother with my troubles way down here? Well, verse 17 speaks to that doubt. He regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer. That Hebrew verb here for regards means literally to turn toward. In other words, he isn't turning his back on you, he's turning his full attention toward you every time you cry out in desperation. Now, after expressing his confidence that God is listening to him, even when it doesn't look like it, the psalmist now offers an important part of the solution for anyone who is overwhelmed with despair in difficult times. And this is really an amazing example for me. He's going to turn his attention to other people who are in need. He writes here in verse 18, Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created, by the way, that's you and me, may praise the Lord. And he looked down from his holy height to hear the groans of the prisoners to set free those who were doomed to die. You know, beloved, one of the best things you can do when you're discouraged is just look around, reach out because there's going to be somebody else who's facing difficult times and perhaps even more discouraged than you are. So come alongside, praying for them, serving them, maybe calling them up on the phone, encouraging them in their walk with God, saying, Hey, let me sit with you in church this coming Sunday, let me bring a meal over. That's gonna change your perspective on your own situation. Well, now as we move into Psalm 103, we're given another action step that this also is going to counteract discouragement. David writes here in verse 2, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. You know what David's doing here? He's talking to himself. He's saying, Listen, David, don't forget the Lord. Listen, O my soul, don't forget what the Lord has done. The Lord has not forgotten me, he remembers me. So I need to do the same, and I need to start keeping a record of his benefits. That's great advice. You know when you're discouraged, you tend to forget what God has done, and you tend to overlook what he is doing even today. Spiritual amnesia is one of the most dangerous illnesses facing uh the believer. You you gotta fight it. Write a list that you can talk back to yourself. Don't forget what God has done and is doing. David writes now here in verse 3. One of the Lord's benefits is that he heals all your diseases. Now don't misunderstand, you don't get to skip going to the doctor. He's referring to the diseases of the soul, not the body. And by the way, God can heal your body if he wants to. I've never met anybody who died naturally of good health. But depression and discouragement and anxiety are diseases of the soul. And guess what? God can heal them as we remember him, as we exercise our memory bank, as we serve others, and as we trust him for today and for tomorrow. I'm reminded of a song written by John Oatman Jr., who wrote uh several well-known hymns, in fact, for the church back in the 1800s. Well, in 1897 he penned one of his most popular hymns. The title of it is Count Your Blessings. You might know the tune. It goes like this When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Now we don't know if Psalm 103 inspired Oatman's hymn, but I gotta tell you, it really sounds a lot like King David's advice from the Lord. Adding up your blessings has a unique way of subtracting your burdens. So let's start adding them up today. And with that, we're out of time. Until our next wisdom journey, beloved, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

SPEAKER_00: 13:29

Thanks for listening to The Wisdom Journey with Stephen Davey. To learn more about us and access all of our Bible teaching resources, visit wisdomonline.org. Our phone number is 866-482-4253. And you can email us at info at wisdomonline.org. Stephen developed this daily program to help you know what the Bible says, understand what it means, and apply it to your life. So please join us next time to continue the wisdom journey.