Forget Not His Benefits: A Free 7-Day Psalm 103 Study

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” — Psalm 103:2 (KJV)

It’s easy to forget. We move from one hard week to the next, and somewhere along the way we lose track of everything God has already done for us. Psalm 103 is David’s remedy for a forgetful soul — a psalm he doesn’t just recite but preaches to himself, verse by verse, benefit by benefit.

This Psalm 103 Bible study walks through the chapter one gift at a time over seven days. Grab your Bible, a journal, and a few quiet minutes each day. You can read the full chapter on Bible Gateway before you begin.

How to Use This Psalm 103 Bible Study

Each day includes a passage from Psalm 103, a short reflection, and two or three questions for journaling or prayer. Read the passage slowly — out loud if you can — before moving into the reflection. If you’d like more free resources like this one, browse our other devotionals and Bible studies. Check out our Psalm 102 Bible study for another free 7-day devotional.

Day 1: A Soul That Remembers

Read: Psalm 103:1-2

“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

This Psalm 103 Bible study begins with David talking to himself.”— commanding his own soul to remember. Notice he doesn’t wait to feel grateful. He tells his soul what to do. Gratitude here isn’t a mood; it’s a discipline.

Reflect: What benefits of God have you forgotten lately? Make a list of five things He has done for you in the past year, even ones that feel small.

Journal: Write your own version of verse 1, speaking directly to your soul.

Day 2: Forgiven

Read: Psalm 103:3a, 10-12

“Who forgiveth all thine iniquities… He hath not dealt with us after our sins… As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”

The first benefit David names is forgiveness. Not partial forgiveness — all iniquities. East and west never meet; that’s the distance God puts between you and your sin.

Reflect: Is there a sin you’ve confessed but still carry the weight of? What would it look like to actually believe it’s been removed as far as east is from west?

Prayer: Thank God specifically for one thing He has forgiven you for.

Day 3: Healed

“Healing in this Psalm 103 Bible study isn’t only physical.”Read: Psalm 103:3b

“Who healeth all thy diseases.”

Healing in Psalm 103 isn’t only physical. David is describing a God who restores what’s broken — body, mind, and spirit. This doesn’t mean every prayer for healing is answered on our timeline, but it does mean healing is part of God’s character, not the exception to it.

Reflect: Where do you need healing right now — physically, emotionally, or spiritually? Name it honestly before God.

Journal: Write about a time God brought healing into your life, even gradually.

Day 4: Redeemed from the Pit

Read: Psalm 103:4a

“Who redeemeth thy life from destruction.”

“The pit” is a picture of ruin — the place we fall into through our own choices, other people’s sin against us, or just the brokenness of the world. David says God doesn’t leave us there. He redeems.

Reflect: Think of a “pit” season in your life. How did God bring you out, or how is He working to bring you out now?

Prayer: If you’re in a pit season right now, ask God plainly for redemption and rescue.

Day 5: Crowned with Lovingkindness

Read: Psalm 103:4b-5

“Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

This is the image behind the eagle — soaring, renewed, lifted on the wind rather than worn down by it. David pictures God placing a crown on us, not because we’ve earned it, but because of His steadfast love.

Reflect: Where do you need renewal today — the strength to rise again instead of staying grounded by exhaustion or discouragement?

Journal: Write a short prayer asking God to renew your strength like the eagle’s.

Day 6: Slow to Anger, Rich in Mercy

Read: Psalm 103:8-9, 13-14

“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy… Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”

God doesn’t relate to us as an exhausted judge but as a patient father. He knows exactly what we’re made of — dust — and meets us with compassion instead of contempt.

Reflect: Do you tend to picture God as more angry than merciful? How does verse 14 — “he remembereth that we are dust” — change how you receive His patience with you?

Prayer: Thank God for being slow to anger with you specifically, and ask for grace to extend that same patience to someone else.

Day 7: Everlasting Love, Everlasting Praise

Read: Psalm 103:15-18, 20-22

“As for man, his days are as grass… But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him… Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.”

David ends where he began — back at his own soul, still preaching to it. Our lives are brief, like grass, but God’s mercy doesn’t share our expiration date. It’s from everlasting to everlasting.

Reflect: Looking back over this week, which benefit of God meant the most to you? Which one do you most need to remember on hard days?

Journal: Write your own closing doxology — a short passage of praise summarizing what God has shown you through Psalm 103.

Psalm 103 Bible Study: Key Takeaways

Psalm 103 isn’t a passage you read once and set down. It’s one you return to on the days memory fails you — when the pit feels closer than the crown, when grace feels harder to believe than judgment. Come back to this Psalm 103 Bible study whenever you need reminding. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.