Psalms in the Key of Life Series
I don’t know about you, but I could sure use some good news after the week I had. The Proverbist writes “laughter is good medicine” which leads me to believe God’s got a sense of humor. So here goes. Consider one minister’s prayer: "Dear Lord," the minister said and he began a prayer with arms extended and a rapturous look on his upturned face, "without You, we are but dust..." He would have continued, but at that moment a little girl leaned over to her mother and asked within earshot of the entire congregation, "Mommy, what’s butt dust?" Service was pretty much over at that point.
Wait, there is more. One day God was looking down at earth and saw all the rascal behavior that was going on. He decided to send an angel down to check it out. When she returned, she told God, "Yes, it is bad: 95% are misbehaving and 5% are not. He thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another opinion." When that angel returned, he reported to God, "Yes, the Earth is in decline: 95% are misbehaving and only 5% are hanging in there."
He was not pleased. So, God decided to send an E-mail to the 5% that were doing good to encourage them, to give them a little something to help them keep the faith. Do you know what the E-mail said? You didn't get one either, huh?
But do not despair those trying to do good, but it looks like bad has our number. God’s word is not spam. It cannot be blocked. And He resends encouraging e-mails daily in the Book of Psalms. One you can’t miss is Psalm 103:11-14, especially if you are haunted by your falls and failures. In our series, Psalms in the Key of Life, we will see in Psalm 103, that there is hope. We are God’s “but” dust.
Psalm 103:11-14
A Psalm of Encouragement
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is his loyal love for those who fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers.
14 For he knows what we are made of;
he realizes we are but dust.
First, there is good news: God’s love is indiscriminate for those who are loyal to God according to Psalm 103:11-12:
The height and depth of God’s love is without boundaries. Look at verse 11:
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his loyal love for those who fear him.
Can you recall a past sin that surely “out-sins” God’s love? Historically, Judas, Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer may come to mind? Not that you belong on that list, but you may have a deep, dark, and undisclosed sin that still haunts you, leaving you to ask yourself, “Surely, God will never forgive what I have done. Verse 11 reminds us that the only disqualifier of God’s boundless loyal love (and forgiveness) is a lack of fear i.e. no reverence of God. A lack of reference is equivalent to a “whatever” attitude when it comes to who God is and what He deems as right—in a word: No remorse. Check your remorse meter.
Also, the breadth of God’s grace is endless. Look at verse 12:
12 As far as the east is from the west, so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us.
Are you still holding on to the guilt of a past sin. Why? God’s forgiveness is horizonal. God’s grace is wider than your wrongs. Paul reminds us of this endless width of God’s grace in II Corinthians 12: 9 in terms of sufficiency:
9 And he said unto me, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. II Corinthians 12:9
Think of God’s endless grace this way: You cannot write a “sin-check” that God can’t cover. His grace checks never return marked “insufficient.”
Second, there is good news. God’s love is based on His relationship with us and the reality of we--His frail children. 103:13-14
God’s love is the unconditional covenant love of a father toward his faithful children. Look at 13:
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers.
We can expect from God what any good father gives his faithful children—compassion. The father in the Luke 17 Prodigal Son story gave his wasteful, yet returned son, a robe, a ring, some barbecue ribs. The condition for God’s compassion is faithfulness. The son had an epiphany as he sat in a pig pen: “I can do better at home with my father who loves me. I’m going home and ask for forgiveness.”
God’s love is based on His acknowledgment of our frailty as humans. V 14
14 For he knows what we are made of; he realizes we are but dust
The condition for God’s love is not perfection, but position. We are children of a fallen creation thanks to Adam whose nature we inherit. But we are recreated as His adopted and redeemed children thanks to Christ.
So, the answer to the little girl’s question “What is but dust or butt dust? (no matter how you spell it)—is this: We are loved and forgiven, no matter what kind of bad news shows up in our inbox. Delete it. And take a dose of laughter. Listen to child tell a bad joke or you tell one.
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