“For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:11-14).
Heavenly Father, please speak peace to our hearts as we remember all that You have done, and is doing for us, during this time of great uncertainty and anxiety. Teach us how to live in a state of continuous gratitude. We know that it is possible, as we live our lives in a personal relationship with You. This is our plea, and this we claim by faith, in the precious Name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
I believe that we could begin this devotional by saying, “This is the conclusion of the matter . . . ,” why there is always a reason to be thankful!
The reason we have been given so much mercy, so much grace; why we have been forgiven, not only our transgressions (missing the mark), but also our iniquities (willful, conscious sin), is because God remembers that we are dust!
But let us dig a little deeper to see what has led our ABBA, to pity us instead of punish us. Here are just some of the reasons:
For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.
I tried to find an answer to the question: “What is the distance between heaven and earth, and could not find a definitive answer. I believe that is the will of God, I am almost sure. There is no short-cut into heaven. Jesus is the only way to get there!
The nations that built the Tower of Babel were made up of the sons of Noah, who were journeying from the east and had arrived and settled in the plain of Shinar, along with their families. These are the nations that made up the inhabitants of the earth after the flood. (See Genessis 10-11:9).
Their progenitors had survived the flood. Could it be that they had forgotten it was because of the mercies of the great God that their family had been spared total destruction along with the rest of the antediluvian world? Had they forgotten that, perhaps as children, and maybe even as adults, they had watched, and more than likely helped, their father Noah, build the ark of safety, in obedience to the instructions of God, and therefore were spared?
Now they sought to protect themselves, by building a tower that would reach to heaven, just in case – of another flood, even though God had given them His word, and then a rainbow, as a guarantee that He would never again destoy the world with water! But God did not destroy them, He simply cut off their communication and scattered them! MERCY!
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
God used east and west versus north and south, beccause if you start travelling from the north pole you can travel only so far to the geographic north pole, and you will eventually find yourself going south; because north and south meet at the poles.
East and West never meet. No matter how far you go east you will never end up in the west. The distance is infinite. God was making a precious statement, His love for us is infinite, and so is the distance that He has placed between us and our forgiven sins! GRACIOUS GOD!
As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame.
Our ABBA created us, so He knows all about us. Our weaknesses and our strengths. He knows our frame. That is why He invites us to take His yoke upon us and learn from Him (Matthew 11:29)! How much stress and anxiety we would be spared if we would accept His invitation to cast all our cares upon Him, knowing that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7)!
As we shared this Psalm together, how blessed we were to discover that those who serve the Sovereign of the universe, have the privilege of calling Him “Our Father,” and are the recipients of His endless love and tender mercy!
We can thank Him everyday for these blessings!
Note: Some minor changes have been made to this devotional.