Twenty-Five PromisesPsalm 103:11-14 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
This is simply one of the great promises of Scripture, because it tells us truths that all of us so often need to hear: (1) God loves us; (2) God forgives us; (3) God understands us with compassion.
We need to hear that God loves us because the enemy wants us to believe that because we continue to sin, God has turned his back on us or is actively hating or hurting us. The enemy wants us to believe that we are so messed up that God has given up on us. But if we tell ourselves the truth, it is clear from one end of Scripture to the other that God loves us!
We need to hear that God forgives us because otherwise our sin would overwhelm us, cling to us, weigh us down and define our future. But the truth is that ALL our sin was atoned for on the cross. Jesus paid the price – we don’t need to somehow try to pay again and again. On iTunes or Amazon, if you search for something you already bought, it will tell you ‘You purchased this item on such-and-such a date – do you want to download it again?’
Sometimes we need to remember that our forgiveness was purchased on the cross and re-download the cleansing that was already paid for.
Finally, we need to hear that God understands us with compassion; he knows our limits, he knows what we can handle – and if he thinks we can handle what he has given us for today, and this week, and this month and this year, who are we to call him a liar? He knows us better than we know ourselves and has more compassion for us than we ourselves can muster!
This is a great ‘tell yourself the truth’ promise!
I’m Forgiven – by Sanctus Real