For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
Psalm 103:11-12 NIV
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.
This psalm of David is one of praise to the Lord. David was overwhelmed by God’s mercy and his love for his people. In this psalm, he exalts God, who “is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” A God who “does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.“
How do you put the extent of God’s love for his people into words? David knew that nothing was further away from the earth than the stars in the heavens. And he used that to describe the love God has for us. It is beyond our comprehension. It is immeasurable.
In the same way, nothing is farther apart than east and west. And that is how far God has removed our sin from us. Despite what we are and have done, we can stand before God, cleansed of our sin and holy before him.
While you might quibble over how high the heavens are over the earth or how far it is from east to west, to do so would be missing the point. God loves us beyond measure and has forgiven our sins for no reason other than his own nature. He indeed is worthy of our worship and praise.
