Day 2475 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.


Psalm 113:12 NIV

I'm thankful for distance. Yep, that even sounded weird in my head as I typed it. But I read this one last night and even though it's one that we all know, I still had to go back and read it again. There's this inconceivable feeling to it that just grabs ahold of your mind for a minute. We talk a lot about forgiveness in our faith, but the way this verse describes it almost goes beyond what we know of forgiveness.

And I think that's what makes God's mercy so impossible for us to comprehend. It's bigger than anything we know. It's more than anything we've experienced. It's beyond what our words can define. His forgiveness is more than just saying that our sins are paid for. It's more than Him saying that it's okay as long as we try to do a little better. They're gone. All of our mistakes and problems and messes are as far away from us as they can be.

Where does the east begin? Where does the final boundary of the west lie? Can we travel to the origin of either? It's seriously mind-blowing to consider the gravity of this verse. And I think what makes it so hard for us to understand is that we still tend to carry this guilt from the things we've done. Perhaps we just haven't figured out how to forgive ourselves yet. Maybe we're still allowing our doubt in His version of forgiveness to convince us that our stains are still there.

Maybe we just need to stop looking at life, at faith, at forgiveness, at everything through our eyes and our understanding. Maybe we need to lay down everything we think we know and open our minds to learning from our Father. Maybe we need to stop letting ourselves get in the way. Our shame, our doubt, our fear, our flaws, our weaknesses, and our struggles to grasp anything other than what this world tells us only holds us back from fully experiencing the fullness of God.

Friends, He sent Christ to clear the way. He planned the cross to bridge the chasm. He offers His Son to show us that His love for us is truly willing to forgive our debts and restore all that we have given away to sin. There are parts of that that may never fully make sense. I don't think it's supposed to. I think that's why it's called faith. We don't need to fully understand His ways in order to trust in them. We just need to fall into His grace and have faith that it's enough.

The truth is that He is enough. His love is enough. His forgiveness is enough because it's bigger than what we know of forgiveness. It's not just rounding over the rough edges or brushing off the worst of the dirt. It's a total and complete renewal. It's the opportunity to walk away from who we were so that we can become who He made us to be all along. It's the utmost freedom in knowing that our sins are gone, as far away as they can be.

So please don't let shame tell you otherwise. Don't let doubt make you question if it's really possible. The Bible says it is, so it is. End of story.

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