Psalm 103

Self-Inflicted

Posted on by Betsy

Another sleepless night. The 4:00 wakeup call came with blaring regularity, calling me to prayer. This time I couldn’t fall back asleep and so I did what one does: After praying though the immediate issue on my mind, which involves an intercessory petition for a loved one, I began reviewing my life and all of the mistakes, missteps, missed opportunities, misdirected energies, and other untold miseries that I brought upon myself over the years. Replaying my “sin reel” seems to be a favorite middle of the night pastime for me. Do you ever do this?

The irony of this is that I know better. I know that my redeemer lives. I know that my savior has forgiven me. I know I have done due diligence in repentance and remorse and have received the blessing of having those sins washed away forever. So why do they continue to live in my mind?

It is some type of self-inflicted punishment, as it surely does not come from the Lord who forgives and forgets.

Somewhere around 5:45, I had an epiphany. If we believe God’s word to be holy and true, then we have to accept that our sins truly are cast as far away as the east is from the west. They do not exist in the mind of the Lord anymore.

Psalm 103 (Common English Bible)

Let my whole being bless the Lord!
    Let everything inside me bless his holy name!
2 Let my whole being bless the Lord
    and never forget all his good deeds:
3     how God forgives all your sins,
    heals all your sickness,
4     saves your life from the pit,
    crowns you with faithful love and compassion,
5     and satisfies you with plenty of good things
        so that your youth is made fresh like an eagle’s.

6 The Lord works righteousness;
    does justice for all who are oppressed.
7 God made his ways known to Moses;
    made his deeds known to the Israelites.
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
    very patient, and full of faithful love.
9 God won’t always play the judge;
    he won’t be angry forever.
10 He doesn’t deal with us according to our sin
    or repay us according to our wrongdoing,
11     because as high as heaven is above the earth,
    that’s how large God’s faithful love is for those who honor him.

12 As far as east is from west—
    that’s how far God has removed our sin from us.

Do you know who benefits from our imprisonment to our sins? Satan. He revels in reminding us through images and whispers that we once strayed from God and should feel tainted and unworthy. But that, my friends, is his feeble attempt to undo the glory and power of what happened at the cross, and we should never, ever, buy into his lie. Get thee behind me, Satan!

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. In the name of Jesus Christ, I am forgiven.

Thanks be to God.

Midnight Moon by Michelle Robertson

Where East Meets West

Posted on by Betsy

 I live on a small island off a narrow strip of land known as the Outer Banks in North Carolina. These barrier islands are so narrow at parts that you can easily see the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pamlico Sound to the west without turning your head. At its most narrow part, the “east” is separated by the “west” by only 150 yards. When a storm hits, east waters meet west waters and close down the narrow two-lane road, cutting off the southern part of the island from the rest of civilization. This area may be one of the only places on earth where “east meets west” as it were.

The reality of east meeting west of course is that it never happens. If you travel east, you will continually be heading east around the globe. Such is the basis of David’s metaphor in our psalm today, as he celebrates that fact that “As far as east is from west—that’s how far God has removed our sin from us” (verse 12).

Psalm 103 (Common English Bible)

God won’t always play the judge;
he won’t be angry forever.
10 He doesn’t deal with us according to our sin
or repay us according to our wrongdoing,
11 because as high as heaven is above the earth,
that’s how large God’s faithful love is for those who honor him.
12 As far as east is from west—
that’s how far God has removed our sin from us.
13 Like a parent feels compassion for their children—
that’s how the Lord feels compassion for those who honor him.

Our sins have been banished to a place that doesn’t exist; thus we suffer them no longer. This reminder of the infinite nature of God’s saving love is a blessing when we have strayed from God’s will for our lives. David’s beautiful psalm is a strong assurance of the power of the cross to obliterate our sins. The price that Jesus paid with his life is our guarantee that past sins won’t inform our present relationship with God. As David says, God won’t be angry with us forever and doesn’t deal with us according to our sin. Indeed, God deals with us according to the measure of our confession and repentance. The power of the shed blood of the atonement is the criteria upon which we will be judged … thanks be to God! Mercy reigns.

But do we believe that, or do we cling to past sins and use them as a way of beating ourselves up over and over again? It is so easy to lay our sin at the foot of the cross and then pick it up again the next day. Repeated self-condemnation of past transgressions becomes the devil’s playground, as he whispers in our ears that we aren’t worthy.

God’s faithful love says otherwise. As far as heaven is above the earth, that is the measure of God’s forgiveness and love for us.

If you are caught in a cycle of unforgiveness of your past, ask yourself this: is your sin actually greater than Christ’s crucifixion? Do you really have that much power? Isn’t holding on to past regret a form of arrogance?

God invites us to truly let go of our past and walk cleanly into the future with hope for which his Son died. Anything less diminishes the cross.

As Far as the East is to the West by Amanda Williams

A Really Good Day

Posted on by Betsy

What would a really good day look like to you right now? Attending a college football game surrounded by a blaze of russet-colored trees with a crisp breeze blowing across the field? Sounds GREAT. Or how about a day on the water catching the plumpest flounder the ocean has to offer? Sign me up! Or maybe a lazy sleep-in, stay-a-bed day reading a good novel with a pot of strong coffee on the nightstand? Or perhaps a family gathering celebrating a 90th birthday with great food, lively conversations, peals of laughter, and a lot of reminiscing? Yes, please!

Here’s one we can all agree on: a global announcement that the pandemic is miraculously and definitively gone from the earth.

Here’s another one we can all agree on: the day you came clean with God and received his forgiveness for your sins. Now THAT was a really good day.

We are blessed to be loved by a God who is far stronger in his steadfast love than he is in his anger over our sin.

We are also blessed that God doesn’t deal with us according to our misbehavior. If that were to happen, where would we be? If we were punished in equal measure to our sin, I am pretty sure most of us would be “smote” by now.

Psalm 103 (New Revised Standard Version)

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always accuse,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.

The sins we have committed are no longer part of our history and God has removed them as far as the east is from the west. Imagine that! This is the benefit of his steadfast love for you.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far he removes our transgressions from us.

Any day we remember the extent of God’s compassion for his children is a good day. Any morning that we wake up and recall his enormous steadfast love for us is the start of a good day, no matter what comes next.

13 As a father has compassion for his children,
    so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.

May God bless this day with constant reminders of his love for you.

Make it a Good One by Karen Warlitner

A Really Bad Day

Posted on by Betsy

I confessed to my church yesterday that I hit the wall last week and had to shut down for a day or two. It came after a string of bad days that included a two-week house repair that was now in its third month, a visit with family that included conversations that drew lines between blue and red perspectives, and getting in the car with my husband to drive over five hours home and discovering ten minutes out that we had a flat tire.

Ever had a bad day that seemed like it wouldn’t go away?

I heard about a couple that was having a really bad day together. They had each had a bad day at work and when they got home, they were arguing a lot. Finally the wife got fed up and told her husband to just write her a note if he really wanted to talk to her. He agreed, so for the rest of the night they passed notes back and forth.

When they went to bed the husband left a note on the kitchen table saying, “Please wake me up at 6 A.M. I have to wake up early for an important meeting.” He went to sleep and all was well.

The next morning he woke up and immediately realized something was wrong. He looked at the clock and saw that it was 9 A.M. He ran to his wife and asked why she didn’t wake him up. She pointed to the table.

Next to his note was another one. He opened it and it said, “Wake up! It’s 6 A.M.”

Yep. That was a really bad day.

Do you know what to do when a bad day comes along? There’s only one thing to do…bless the Lord.

Psalm 103 (New Revised Standard Version)

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and do not forget all his benefits—

Oh, especially on a bad day, do not forget all of God’s benefits to you! The author of all creation loves you so much he knows the very count of hairs on your head. The One who told the stars where to shine has loved you from the moment of your conception. The Father who sent his only Son to die on the cross was sacrificing it all for your salvation.

3 who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

When I “cried uncle” after my bad day, I took some time to shut down all the cacophony and really focus on my blessings. I came out a few days later feeling renewed and ready.

Next time you’re having a bad day remember who redeems your life from the Pit. Remember who heals you and forgives all of your wrongdoings. Turn to the one who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, and just sit in his presence.

More bad days are likely to come but if you rest in his arms you’ll be renewed and ready, too.

The Start of a Really Good Day by Michelle Robertson