LentDay 2
Dust, and dearly loved
Thursday after Ash Wednesday · Psalm 103: Bless the LORD, O My Soul
For today
Ash Wednesday names our frailty; this psalm names God's tenderness toward it. He knows how we are formed, and he removes our sins as far as east is from west.
Begin with these verses
verse 8The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. verse 9He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever. verse 10He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities. verse 11For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. verse 12As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
verse 13As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. verse 14For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.
In Christ
How this psalm points to Jesus
A theme the whole Bible completes in Christ · verse 13
Jesus pictured this compassion in the father who sees his son while he is still far off and runs to him. God shows his love in that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Optional. Kept only on this device, and never counted.