Bless the Lord
In the beginning God… (Genesis 1:1).
In his book Glimpses of a Greater Glory David Kim wrote, “In the opening sentence of the Bible, we are immediately introduced to the main character of this drama of redemption. The Bible establishes from the very beginning that before anything in creation existed, God existed for all eternity. He is the preeminent Sovereign, and like any artist, His creation reveals much about who He is.”[1]
I’ve often heard people say that the Bible stands for Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth. In other words, the main purpose of the Bible is to teach people how to live successfully in this life and to prepare for the next. Such a view misses the mark. The Bible is not primarily about us and how we can “live our best life now.” The Bible is primarily about God and what he is doing in his creation.
I was thinking about these things when I came this morning to Psalm 103. What a grand portion of Scripture it is. How beautifully it reveals the character of God. Take a few moments and read the Psalm now a see what it tells us about God.
He forgives our iniquity and heals our diseases (v. 3).
He redeems our life from the pit (v. 4).
He crowns us with steadfast love and mercy (v. 4).
He satisfies us with good (v. 5).
He works righteous and justice for those who are oppressed (v. 6).
He is merciful, he is gracious, he is slow to anger, he abounds in steadfast love (v. 8).
He does not chide nor is he angry forever (v. 9).
He does not deal with us as sinners or pay us what our sins deserve (v. 10).
His steadfast love for us is as high as the heavens are above the earth (v. 11).
He removes our sin as far as the east is from the west (v. 12).
He shows compassion for us like a tender, compassionate father (v. 13).
What are the things from this list that most strike you about God? Of the many wonderful things David shows us about God two things stand out to me more than the others:
God limits his anger and correction toward us, it is not forever. But there is no limit to his steadfast for us. Not only is steadfast love mentioned three times, it is said to be as high as the heavens are above the earth—that is, it is infinite.
He does not remove our sins as far as the north is from the south, but as far as the east is from the west. North and south are finite. If you start from the north pole and go south, you will reach a point where you cease going south and start heading north again. But if you start heading east around the globe you will never reach a point where you start going west—it too is infinite.
God’s love for us is infinite and he has infinitely removed our sin from us. How wonderful is that? And, the Psalm tells us that God is a healer, a redeemer, he is merciful, and a satisfier. He is good and just and compassionate. Meditate on these truths about God. Let them sink deeply into your soul.
Then bless the Lord (v. 20-22). Join with the angels and all his hosts and all his works in all of creation to bless the Lord—to praise, exalt, and worship God.
Life is often hard and confusing. Many times things don’t make sense, things don’t turn out the way we expect or think they ought to be. Sometimes, though, everything falls into place and life is good.
Whichever we are experiencing, let us remember, that life is not primarily about us, we are not the main character of the story. Life is about God and what he is doing. Let us pause and reflect of who he is, the greatness and the majesty of his character, and let it move us to bless—praise, exalt, worship—the Lord.
Much love,
Barry
[1] David H. Kim, Glimpses of a Greater Glory: A Devotional through the Storyline of the Bible, Crossway, p. 1.