High as the Heavens by Rocky Fleming

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”

Psalm 103:11-12 (ESV)

I believe the greatest comfort that a Christian should have is the incomparable and unlimited dimension of God’s love for His children, and His forgiveness to the truly repentant sinner.  In fact, we can understand that it not only includes the vertical illustration in the scripture above describing the height of His forgiveness but as well the horizontal, as His forgiveness includes the dimension from the east to the west, which by the way never ends.  When we throw in His lost memory of our sins, I believe that we can see why His forgiveness in incomparable.

‘For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,

and I will remember their sins no more.”

Hebrews 8:12 (ESV)

Concerning the height of the heavens, scientists have recently discovered a galaxy that is 13.5 billion light years from Earth.  This means that if we could travel at the speed of light it would take 13.5 billion years to make the voyage.  It also means that light that left that galaxy 13.5 billion years ago is just now being seen.  Scientists are looking back in time 13.5 billion years to see this galaxy.  It might not even be around today, for a lot happens in 13.5 billion years.  These scientists are also telling us that there is so much more to God’s creation that they don’t see or know, and in fact they are now realizing that He continues to create.  I wonder how they would feel about God’s steadfast love for His children being compared to the height of heaven by only what they know?  I would think they would want in on this, wouldn’t you?  Many scientists are beginning to realize that they are seeing a created order, and not just a random mix of happenstance, and it’s turning their hearts toward their Creator through Jesus.

These are aspects of God we need to remember and celebrate, for they are a major foundation in our relationship with Him.  Too many times I hear people say that if only God knew what they’ve done, He could never love them.  They say this, for they don’t know that He does know all those things and still loves them.  Then I hear, “Oh God would never forgive that person for what he or she has done,” and they require a just verdict and punishment due the person based on their sense of justice.  They say this, for they don’t know the capacity of God’s grace to forgive the truly repentant and horrible sinner.  Since they don’t know this about God, they often continue to beat themselves up as well as a way to try and pay for their sins, and the Orphan Spirit is exposed.  Check yourself out on this observation.  Do you sometimes feel this way about others, or yourself?

As I look back over a long life, I see these things about God are true, and indeed they have comforted me.  There was a period in my life that I could not grasp the peace I sought even though sorrowful and deeply repentant before God.  I did everything I could to prove myself changed, or good, or sorry.  But I had an adversary that accused me day and night, telling me that I could never deserve God’s love and forgiveness.  I wasn’t good enough.  There was too much darkness in my past.  His love was only for good people, but not me.  When the Accuser, Satan, has our ear those are the sort of things he says, and if we agree with him, he’ll keep us hearing his ugly, lying voice taking away the truth and our peace.  But we don’t have to listen to him, and in fact we need to listen to the voice of truth, which is God Himself if we are a follower of Jesus.

It turned for me when I stopped listening to the Accuser and sought to understand God’s grace better.  Once I began to understand His grace better then I came to understand that this same grace is active and present toward me every minute and every day of my life, and I was instructed to walk in it.  What does this mean, “to walk in God’s grace?”  It means to rely on God’s faithful grace, to recognize it, to receive it, and to celebrate it … not on just special occasions, but rather every minute of every day and in all situations.  Can this be done?  It can if we will consider our thoughts and their origin before we embrace them.  How does this thought make me feel?  Angry?  Anxious?  Fearful?  Slanderous?  Lustful?  Greedy?  Manipulative?  There is no doubt where these thoughts originate?  They are Satan’s ways and his voice.  God’s voice of grace brings peace, joy, hope, life and health.  This describes how God’s grace comforts us.  But His voice is often drowned out by the other, if we do not learn to train our thoughts to reject the evil man and listen to the One whose love and forgiveness is indescribable.   Like those scientists who have dedicated their lives to try and understand what’s out there in God’s creation, we do the same to seek and understand that there is more to Jesus and His love for us than we can understand and have likely taken.  It’s time that we listen to God, for His voice is the way, the truth and the life.