Psalm 103: 7 – 18
7 He revealed his character to Moses
and his deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
15 Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
16 The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
18 of those who are faithful to his covenant,
of those who obey his commandments!
These center verses of Psalm 103 are so comforting. On those days when it feels like everything is too hard, or too depressing, or just too mixed up – we can know for sure:
“The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.”
“For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.”
“The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are.”
Isn’t that amazing! He knows you intimately. He knows when you fail. He knows when you are sad. He knows when you are confused. He knows when you are frustrated. He knows when you wish you had done something better.
God is willing to be patient with you. He is not waiting for you to fail and punish you. He is not like us sometimes when we yell at our kids because they make us so frustrated and angry. He is “compassionate and merciful, and filled with unfailing love.” He is willing to forgive us and “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west”. Just stop and think. Every day is a new day – a day when we can start the day with asking him to forgive the mess that was yesterday and know that we have a clean slate.
Some of us really struggle with past sin. We tend to face the future knowing we messed up in the past. We’re afraid we’ll do it again. Or, we’re afraid our mistakes of the past make us ineffective now. If you have a tendency to compare yourself with others, and let your past shadow the present and future, read these verses again. In fact, place these verses somewhere where you can see them every day. You are forgiven, loved and treasured!
And then the psalm ends with praise. Praise that we can repeat and tell God how much we love him.
The Lord has made the heavens his throne;
from there he rules over everything.
20 Praise the Lord, you angels,
you mighty ones who carry out his plans,
listening for each of his commands.
21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels
who serve him and do his will!
22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created,
everything in all his kingdom.
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
Our song for today is Here in His Presence by Elevation Worship.