“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
– Psalm 103:11-12
I was given a good piece of advice today; to forget the sins of my past, forgiven, and move on. It reminded me of this verse in Psalms. There is such power in the promise that God has removed our sin from us, as far as is infinitely possible. Whilst it is encouraging to know that God has etched that sin away from us completely, what we find hard to do is forgive ourselves. Forgiving ourselves, forgetting, and moving on.
It may not always be the case, but depending on your sin and on the situation, forgiving and forgetting is quite a necessity. When you become so hung up on your past mistakes, so focussed on your wrongs from years passed, you tend to get stuck and not move forward. I’m not sure if you can call it self pity. It’s more like “beating yourself up over it”, but to an extent that you cannot progress any longer.
What I have forgotten is that God has forgiven me completely. Though there may yet be consequences from those sins and actions, God has wiped the slate clean. In His books, you are free to move on, to move on towards His direction. Sometimes it takes a person (whom you respect very much) to tell it to your face, “you have to let your shady past go!”. It is the first step, in many cases, to renewal. Renewal of relationships with others and especially with God.
This year, I’ve really struggled with the concept that David was a man after God’s own heart. After reading some of his psalms, I’m beginning to understand why he was accredited that title. David’s relationship with God was close, real close. He really understood how it should be – the relationship between a lowly man and an Almighty God. It is the difference between broken vessels and ultimate perfection. David understood the gap, but what’s more, he appreciated the gap. He appreciated that God was the only one that could bridge the gap. Not even with all our collective strength could we come even close to attaining that kind of perfection.
Psalm 103 is the expression of a man who has a relationship with God. It was not written for a father, or a lover, or a friend. It was written as praise to an awesome God.
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”
I’m glad David wrote that. If God can be like that to an adulterous murderer, then maybe I stand a chance. I do deserve a hefty repayment of my sins, but because of His mercy, I walk free. And I guess the biggest part of grace is accepting the gift and moving on. Forget the sin, embrace the grace and move on towards Him; fearing Him, loving Him, seeking Him and praising Him.
“Praise the Lord, all His works everywhere in His dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.”
