Can’t Find It
“As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgression from us.” (Psalm 103:12) The earth was created with uniqueness as God placed it in the outer bands of the Milky Way Galaxy. As we behold the glories of heaven on a clear night, the vastness of the stars reminds us of the majesty of God’s grace.
King David, the sweet singer of Israel and ancestor of our Lord Jesus, wrote the words we are considering. It is a Psalm about the steadfast love and grace of God toward those who trust in him. Verse after verse David unfolds the benefits and beauty of God’s mercy and righteousness. A walk through the entire passage is one that compels us to worship and adore the wisdom and tender character of God.
King David is known for two great things in the Scriptures. First, he is known for taking the wife (Bathsheba) of another man and getting her pregnant. This led to David devising a dark plan to place this man in a situation where he would die in military battle, thus becoming complicate in his death. Yes, David was guilty of adultery and murder.
Second, we know that in spite of his sin, David had a heart crying out for God. The Psalms of David are God’s psychology textbook that answers many questions we have about life, and they continually point us to God’s grace. The words in the Psalms drip with the justice and mercy of God, bringing us face to face with our sins and God’s grace.
We all need to identify with both of these things about David because, like him, we all come short of the Glory of God and need the work of a merciful Savior. Like him, we must see and confess our sins to God before we’ll have freedom in Christ. Like him, when we turn our hearts toward God’s throne of grace, we’ll become worshippers who adore the grace and forgiveness of the gospel.
More importantly, like David, when we cry out to the Lord for mercy, God removes our sin as far as the east is from the west. Thank God he did not say north and south. If you start walking north, once you reach the north pole you reach the end of the north, and the next step is south. It is a measurable distance. However, we can begin walking east, and we will never reach the end of the east and start walking west. The Lord wanted us to realize the extreme distance His forgiveness offers us from our guilt.
You will always have hateful and bitter people who will consistently cast stones at you concerning your past sins. But next time they do, remember this verse from the pen of David and reflect upon the beauty of God’s mercy and grace through repentance. Then with a joyful and gentle heart, tell them you’ve handed your sin to Jesus and now you… Can’t Find it!
