The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

Psalm 103:8-14.

8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

Today’s title is “compassionate and Gracious”

We are often hurt by people. We are hurt by people’s hatred and anger toward us. We are hurt by people’s rejection and disregard for us. But we are not only hurt by other people. We hurt people too. Whom do you think you hurt most? We hurt someone who loves us most. It may sound paradoxical. But it is true. We are hurt most by someone we love most. We hurt someone who loves us most. So who is that someone whom you hurt most? Sadly, I hurt many people who loved me dearly such as families, friends, and co-workers. But the person that I hurt most is God I believe. I have rejected Him when He kept calling me. I have betrayed Him so much even after I was saved by Him. I have disappointed Him countlessly for lack of faith and trust in Him. Humanly speaking, I can’t face Him for shame and fear. But I still hold onto Him because I know who He is and how He is. He is God who stretches His righteous arms toward sinners and embraces those who rejected Him. Today’s psalm shows such compassionate hearts of God beautifully. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him. What a beautiful description of God’s compassionate heart! That’s how our God is. That’s how we could go back to Him again and again shamelessly despite so many sins. He does not reject those who rejected Him. He does not betray those who betrayed Him. This psalm shows us the reason clearly. “ As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” I don’t know about you. But I am often terrified at my own sins. I am also terrified at the sins of people that I love dearly. I shudder and think “How can we face God again and ask for His forgiveness and grace?” Every time we feel such shame and fear, this passage echoes in my soul. He knows that we sinners have no other places to go even when we sinned. The Father God who knows us is already waiting for us with open arms. He indeed is the Father of all prodigals. Are you one of those prodigals? Then this God is your Father. Amen!