“For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him .” Psalm 103: 11

Stefan Gillessen, Reinhard Genzel, Frank Eisenhauer

Paula
When I meditate on the vast expanse of the observable universe, the distances involved seem incomprehensible.  Astrophysicists have calculated that the comoving distance (or unchanging distance, i.e., not taking into consideration the universe’s constant rate of expansion) between Earth and our universe’s edge is approximately 14 billion parsecs, or 46 billion light years in any given direction. One light year equals the distance light travels in one year, or 6 trillion (6,000,000,000,000) miles. Do the math, then try to write out the number! What’s even more mind boggling is that this distance measures only the span between where we are standing and the far-reaching points of light we can see. Only God knows how many light years of universe lie beyond those points!

King David, the writer of Psalm 103, understood the incomprehensible measure of God’s mercy toward His imperfect children. He experienced that mercy firsthand. Past his other relatively minor faults, David desired to take for himself another man’s wife and so crafted a scheme that resulted in that man’s murder. One year later King David got his heart’s desire: Beautiful Bathsheba, Uriah the Hittite’s widow, became his queen.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. Displeased, God sent the prophet Nathan to confront the king (see 2 Samuel 12). After shining a beacon upon King David’s awful transgression, David could no longer, either to himself or to others, mask his deed and pretend what he’d done could be buried and forgotten.

Can God forgive egregious sins like that? He not only can, He did.

From that point on, understanding full well that he had “done evil in the sight of the Lord,” David began an agonizing journey toward repentance. While seeking God’s forgiveness, another psalm, Psalm 51, emerged from David’s deep remorse and from his longing for God’s mercy, grace, and absolution during this time. It begins: “Have mercy upon me, O God; according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” Several verses later David pleads: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”

History tells us that God answered King David’s cry for mercy, completely and absolutely.

Whenever I stumble into sin, as all of us do, whether it be foul temper; unclean speech; intolerance; the temptation to do a job halfway; or the temptation to cloud my mind with debilitating self-doubts that keep me from attaining the goals God has set for me; I think about imperfect King David and his wonderful psalms. Whenever I start thinking God can’t possibly forgive my transgressions because they are too great, I turn my thoughts toward the vastness of the heavens and how great the Bible attests is God’s mercy toward me.

Some of us have committed “really big” sins which we feel God could never in a million years forgive, sins almost too terrible to utter. But God tells us that when we repent from the depths of our hearts and sincerely commit to turning away from our sinful behavior, He will pour upon us His infinite mercy and grant us a measure of forgiveness that will forever absolve us and restore us to a right standing with Him. God declared to all of us through King David’s contrite, forgiven heart and glorious pen: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear [trust] Him.”

Pam
I love the story in Luke of the prodigal son.  How very human is the prodigal son. So sure of his abilities, so smug in his own wisdom, he grabs his inheritance and goes charging off, knowing full well he will be able to run his life much better on his own. He has no need of the comforts his father wants to give him, and certainly no need of guidance and counsel. He’s much too smart for all that.

As I read the story, it starts to sound a little too familiar. Haven’t we all had times in our lives when we think we can do a better job of managing things than God?  When we say, basically, “ No thanks, God. I got this one”. That is usually about the time my life starts to crumble like a sand castle in the hot sun. The essence of what was holding it together is gone.

Predictably, the prodigal son finds himself covered in muck and eating pig swill.  What could be more humbling? Swallowing his pride, which probably didn’t taste any better than the pig food, he returns home, unsure of his welcome. I imagine he must’ve been asking himself if his father was going to be angry and punish him for his arrogance, his foolishness. Would his father further humble him? It would be no less than he deserved.  But instead of meeting anger, the prodigal son is met with joy. His father runs into his arms. (Joel Osteen points out that this is the only time in the Bible that God runs). Instead of punishment, the prodigal son is given a banquet and fine clothes.

This story so perfectly illustrates God’s mercy.  So often we receive mercy we don’t deserve, but it is freely, lovingly abundantly, given anyway.  Too many times we cannot show mercy or forgiveness to those who offend us, but God is steadfast in His mercy to His children. We cannot fall to depths too low where we can’t be redeemed. When you think about it, what could be more comforting? All I have to do is look toward God, and  start to move in His direction, and He will meet me more than halfway. Loving arms always await.