Psalm 103:9-14

9He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
14For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
-Psalm 103:9-14

If there was ever a passage to return to on a regular basis, this would be one of them. The Lord is so incredible and merciful that His character puts it wide on display. There are two things that I would like for us to see in this passage. The first is the stipulation, and the second is sufficiency.

There is in fact a stipulation for the mercy that is being talked about here. This is not something that comes to just anyone. The Lord is not selecting at random those who will receive mercy. He is ready for anyone, however there is a qualification. This stipulation is the fear of the Lord. From the fear of the Lord, we humble ourselves before Him. However, if we do not fear the Lord then we walk in pride, resist the Lord, and the Lord in turn resists us. We must fear God.

As we fear the Lord, this mercy is extended to us. See then how sufficient the work of the Lord is. East and west never touch. You can travel East continually and will never go West. Likewise, you can travel West and will never go East. In the same manner that East and West will never touch, so the Lord is saying in His mercy that your sin will never touch you. Your transgressions are removed. Praise the Lord! Let us rejoice in His mercy.