Psalm 103 can help someone struggling with addiction. It speaks of mercy, forgiveness, healing, and love. In the midst of the struggle, these words matter. They offer a reminder that God is not quick to anger. He is slow, and He is full of love (vs 8). For someone wrestling with addiction, this matters deeply. They know the weight of shame. They know how hard it is to let go of guilt. But in these words, there is grace.

Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.

God heals all iniquity. He heals all diseases (vs 3). Addiction is a disease. It eats away at a person, body and soul. The idea that God heals not just the body but the spirit can bring a man to his knees. This is not just a physical battle. It’s a spiritual one, too. When the wounds are deep, the words of this Psalm remind you that healing is possible. Even when it feels impossible.

The greater glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Then there is the renewal, the part that feels like a second chance. "Who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's" (vs 5, ESV). It’s a picture of strength, of vitality. When addiction has drained a man, he wonders if he will ever feel strong again. This verse says it is possible. God can restore what was lost. The battle can be won.

It is never too late to be what you might have been.

“The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed” (vs 6, ESV). For the man trapped by addiction, this speaks to the oppression of it all. It’s not just the substance. It’s the life around it—the brokenness, the hopelessness. But God is on the side of the oppressed. That is where He stands. He is working for justice. He is fighting for freedom and in that freedom is unbounded love. “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him” (vs 11, ESV). Addiction often convinces a man he is unlovable, beyond repair. But this verse tells a different story. God’s love is greater than the past, greater than the mistakes. It is endless. It cannot be measured.

There is forgiveness too. “As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us” (vs 12, ESV). For someone in recovery, this matters. It speaks to the weight of guilt that addiction brings. But the past can be wiped clean. What was done is done. The past is gone. It no longer defines the man.

Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.

Through it all we are so fragile. “For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (vs 14, ESV). Addiction breaks a man. It weakens him. But God knows this. He understands. He remembers that we are frail. What He offers is grace.

We have all been broken, that's how the light gets in.

Psalm 103 reminds us of hope for the broken. There is mercy for the weary. There is healing for the wounded. And there is love that will never end. For someone struggling with addiction, these words can offer a way out. They can offer a way forward.

The wound is the place where the Light enters you.