As high as the heavens are above the earth— that is how vast his mercy is toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west— that is how far he has removed our rebellious acts from himself.
As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
He certainly knows what we are made of. He bears in mind that we are dust.
Human life is as short-lived as grass. It blossoms like a flower in the field.
When the wind blows over the flower, it disappears, and there is no longer any sign of it. [vss 11-16]
But from everlasting to everlasting, the Lord’s mercy is on those who fear him. His righteousness belongs to their children and grandchildren,
to those who are faithful to his promise [covenant] to those who remember to follow his guiding principles.
The Lord has set his throne in heaven. His kingdom rules everything.
Praise the Lord, all his angels, you mighty beings who carry out his orders and are ready to obey his spoken orders.
Praise the Lord, all his armies, his servants who carry out his will. Praise the Lord, all his creatures in all the places of his empire. Praise the Lord, my soul! [vss 17-22]
A psalm by David. (Psalms 103:11-22 GW)
One of my earliest impressions of the existence of God came during a lunar eclipse. As I looked up into the starry night sky, my dad told me of the thousands of galaxies stretched out in every direction throughout the universe.
My four-year-old imagination tried to grasp the vastness of this limitless expansive universe. It scared me.
I remember asking, "What's beyond the universe?" He couldn't answer my question. Later in life, I realized God was beyond the universe because He is its Creator.
This psalm, especially these first few verses, are a great comfort to me. God's mercy and love exceed the vastness of the universe!
Notice, this is the assurance we have when we fear the Lord—when we respect the Creator and Author of life with awe and wonder.
He understands our limited frail human frames. God's mercy extends beyond the limits of our need for it.
David understood the vastness of God and His mercy because of his own need for mercy. Instead of being overpowered by his personal failures and weakness, he trusted in the Lord.
Faith—a personal trust in God—requires us to look beyond our self—our weakness, our limitedness—to see His great majesty.
This is why David was able to proclaim the truths in this psalm. He came to understand how God sustained his life beyond life itself. He understood the everlasting nature of God's mercy.
When you consider the vastness of the universe, remember the immensity of God and His everlasting mercy.
Have you experienced God's great mercy?
Have you learned to fear and respect God who rules over all creation?
Learn to look beyond yourself to see God's merciful greatness as David did!
©Word-Strong_2017
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I won't cover all 150 Psalms, but do selective devotionals through the rest of Psalms.
So if I skip one that you like... let me know and I'll try to cover it!
