Now that’s love

As high as the sky is above the earth,
   so great is his love for those who honour him.
As far as the east is from the west,
   so far does he remove our sins from us. (verses 11,12)

Read Psalm 103:1-13

A child spreads their arms wide, as wide as they can reach and says, ‘I love you this much!’ Love doesn’t get much bigger than that. It encompasses everything in that child’s vocabulary about love: wide and open and ready for a hug. But a child’s love is not all words. When they put a tiny hand in yours and squeeze tight, when they help without being asked, when they smile sleepily at bedtime, that’s love.

King David, the writer of this psalm, uses a bigger metaphor, but the effect is the same. He has an awe-inspired understanding that God’s love is beyond earthly measurement. And it’s not just God’s love but God’s love in action that’s so huge. God shows his love for us by removing our sins and casting them away as far as the east is from the west. Never to return. Now that’s love!

Almighty Father, gracious Lord, loving redeemer, creator of everything, your love overwhelms me. Keep me in your loving embrace forever. Amen.

by Kathy Hoopmann, in ‘Living Water for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2001)

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