I love hanging out over Psalm 103! Talk about your “pick me up.” If you’re not blessing the Lord before you start in on the Psalm, it’s pretty hard not to be by the time you’re done. It is jam-packed with good stuff. Good stuff about my God . . . good stuff about my salvation . . . glory and grace dominate! The glory of God, revealed to Moses in Exodus 33 and 34, again shines forth: “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever” (103:9). And the grace of God runs rampant throughout David’s song: “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities (103:10) . . . As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (103:12) . . . the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting” (103:17).

And, almost hidden in the grandeur of this “bless the Lord, O my soul” symphony of praise is a well known, but perhaps not so much thought about, factoid concerning the glorious God of grace and we who are recipients of that that grace . . .

“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:13-14)

Over the past several weeks, the idea of knowing God has been forefront. I preached on it a few weeks ago and our pastor has been taking a deep dive into Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1 considering what it means to be given “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better” (Eph. 1:17b NIV). But this morning, I am a bit overwhelmed to consider again how much my God knows me. He is intimately familiar with how I am wired. He knows me inside and out. And, far from shaking His head in disappointment or throwing up His hands in frustration — which, at times, I think He has every right to do — He, instead, looks upon me with heavenly, Creator-sized compassion.

Although I am truly “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 13:14) . . . despite the fact that the human body cries out of a Creator . . . regardless that its inner-workings can be the subject of lifelong study . . . the bottom line is that I’m still made of natural material. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen. 1:27). The framework sitting in this chair is but flesh and blood . . . a natural body. To be sure. it has its own glory yet, that it is but a terrestrial glory . . . glory that is subject to corruption and weakness (1Cor. 15:40-44). Dust based glory . . . at best, formed into jars of clay (2Cor. 4:7). And my God knows this full well. He knows that while the spirit may be willing, the flesh so often is weak (Matt. 26:41). He knows that way too often the things I want to do I don’t do . . . and the things I don’t want to do I find myself doing (Rom. 7:15). He knows the struggles . . . He sees the weariness . . . He’s not surprised by the trips and falls.

And His response? Compassion. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord shows compassion for those who love Him. It is the heart of tender affection . . . the deep love of the parent who is faithfully and unconditionally committed to rearing and caring for their child. Sometimes you just need to sit back in your chair . . . bow your head . . . lift your soul . . . and say, “Father, thank You that you know me . . . that You really know me . . . and that You still love me . . . Your heart is stirred with deep affection . . . Your grace abounds . . . Your love is still shed upon me when I’m feeling not very lovable. You know my frame . . . You remember I am dust . . . but Your mercies, O Lord, are from everlasting to everlasting.”

Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! (103:1)

Praise God for Creator-sized compassion! Amen?