For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
God's loving-kindness and mercy toward those who fear Him is as vast as the height of the heavens above the earth, immeasurably great, measureless and everlasting. His love exceeds all other love and all human love and mercy by as much as the heavens are higher than the earth. The surrounding psalm praises Him for forgiving iniquity, healing disease, redeeming life from destruction, and renewing strength, showing Him to be forbearing, tender, and long-suffering, ready to pardon and forgive those who have sinned.
He does not deal with people according to their sins and does not treat them as they treat one another. When they err and make mistakes He does not forsake them, forget them, or leave them to their own ways. He does not deal with His children in anger even when they are wayward and disobedient and grieve Him continually, but bears patiently with their weakness, defects, and dust-remembered frailty with a father's pity, tender pity, and patient love.
Because His ways are not like human ways, He can forgive those who come to Him in repentance, assuring repentant sinners who trust in Christ's merits that His mercy is for them despite their unworthiness and doubts. His greatness of mercy means He has ample light and grace to bestow on all who fear Him. In the last days, when Satan's devices are abundant, deceptive, and corrupting, He will especially help those who walk in the truth, giving grace according to their needs and filling their hearts with peace, courage, and confidence.
That mercy and truth are promised only to the contrite and obedient, for justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne, and the disobedient and rebellious will not escape the visitation of His just anger. As He watches over His children, the covenant-keeping King of kings joins absolute power with the gentleness and care of a tender shepherd, knows every necessity, pledges the sure fulfillment of His promises, and has means to remove every difficulty to sustain them. Those who trust Him, serve Him, and respect the means He employs are therefore to be hopeful and courageous rather than despondent.
The greatness of that mercy is seen in Christ's deep and strong love for the Wessels family and in the preciousness of their souls, and in the paralytic's restoration, where the psalm's thanksgiving accompanies the return of hope and strength and the glorifying of God. His mercy calls those who receive it to repent and confess and let the love of Jesus fill their hearts, and to show patience, compassion, and love toward others. Parents in particular are to copy that mercy when they discipline children by requiring obedience firmly and kindly, never with a storm of angry words and never striking in anger, but dealing gently and in the spirit of Christ while remembering their own imperfect walk before their Heavenly Father and that their children inherited tendencies to wrong from them.
God's loving-kindness and mercy toward those who fear Him is as vast as the height of the heavens above the earth, immeasurably great, measureless and everlasting. His love exceeds all other love and all human love and mercy by as much as the heavens are higher than the earth. The surrounding psalm praises Him for forgiving iniquity, healing disease, redeeming life from destruction, and renewing strength, showing Him to be forbearing, tender, and long-suffering, ready to pardon and forgive those who have sinned.
He does not deal with people according to their sins and does not treat them as they treat one another. When they err and make mistakes He does not forsake them, forget them, or leave them to their own ways. He does not deal with His children in anger even when they are wayward and disobedient and grieve Him continually, but bears patiently with their weakness, defects, and dust-remembered frailty with a father's pity, tender pity, and patient love.
Because His ways are not like human ways, He can forgive those who come to Him in repentance, assuring repentant sinners who trust in Christ's merits that His mercy is for them despite their unworthiness and doubts. His greatness of mercy means He has ample light and grace to bestow on all who fear Him. In the last days, when Satan's devices are abundant, deceptive, and corrupting, He will especially help those who walk in the truth, giving grace according to their needs and filling their hearts with peace, courage, and confidence.
That mercy and truth are promised only to the contrite and obedient, for justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne, and the disobedient and rebellious will not escape the visitation of His just anger. As He watches over His children, the covenant-keeping King of kings joins absolute power with the gentleness and care of a tender shepherd, knows every necessity, pledges the sure fulfillment of His promises, and has means to remove every difficulty to sustain them. Those who trust Him, serve Him, and respect the means He employs are therefore to be hopeful and courageous rather than despondent.
The greatness of that mercy is seen in Christ's deep and strong love for the Wessels family and in the preciousness of their souls, and in the paralytic's restoration, where the psalm's thanksgiving accompanies the return of hope and strength and the glorifying of God. His mercy calls those who receive it to repent and confess and let the love of Jesus fill their hearts, and to show patience, compassion, and love toward others. Parents in particular are to copy that mercy when they discipline children by requiring obedience firmly and kindly, never with a storm of angry words and never striking in anger, but dealing gently and in the spirit of Christ while remembering their own imperfect walk before their Heavenly Father and that their children inherited tendencies to wrong from them.