Promises - As Far As Far Can Be

Have you had any mistake [sin, offense, or disobedience to God] that seems to define you? Any pattern of where the consequences are ever present? Is there mistake in your life that you feel can’t be forgiven and certainly can’t be forgotten?

God has an answer for that.

Psalms 103:11-13 For as high as the heavens [sky] are above the earth, so great is His faithful love [loyalty] toward those who fear [respect] Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions [sins] from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear [respect] Him. 

This Psalm, which is another word for song or hymn, focuses on the many many blessings that the Lord lavishes on His people. This is one promise that I have heard before but forget a lot. I am not perfect. I continue to make mistakes; sometimes all to willingly. Even after I have taken them to the Lord and confessed them, I carry the guilt of them in my memory. What does the Lord have to say about that?

Only God Forgives And Forgets

God is promising in this Psalm to completely separate our sin from us and then throw it as far as far can be away from us. He is the only one who truly forgives and forgets our sin. He removes that sin as far as East is from the West. That doesn’t mean that your sin comes back around and meets up with you on the opposite side of the globe (which would be the middle of the Indian ocean for me). It means that He removes it to infinity. It is no more – gone – forever and completely wiped away. There is no need to hold on to any guilt or shame. God isn’t doing that, so why should you?

And why does He do this?

It is because before you even knew about your problem of sin, He loved you to that same infinite degree. He has such compassion toward us that He made a way for us to be healed before we knew we were broken. His love for mankind and you personally knows no bounds. It is measureless, as high as the universe is beyond the earth. He has taken our biggest problem (sin) and created an even greater and all-powerful remedy.

“Every Promise Has A Premise!”

What is our part to play in God keeping this promise? Does He need our partnership? Well no, He doesn’t need anything from us. He actually made this promise to us first. We didn’t do anything to warrant it or earn it. But He does ask something from us in response. Only those who fear [respect] Him in response will take advantage of the promise.

If you have ever listened to Pastor Rick Warren, you know he loves a catchy turn of phrase. In one of his sermons he said, "there are more than 5,000 promises in the Bible, and every one of them has a premise.” Now, I have not vouched for all 5,000 promises having an if-then premise, but this one certainly does. Our response to the promise is to respect and revere Him. Respecting God as being an authority over your life is the beginning of all wisdom.

God reached out His loving hand first.

He is waiting for you and me to grab hold.