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He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:10-12)
Do you ever want to get away from it all? Travel and tour agencies, airlines and tourist destinations advertise plans to help you get away. People hope to escape, at least for a while, from the ordinary worries and trouble of daily life. How far is far enough to get away? Some things we can never escape on our own. No airline or travel agency can separate us from our transgressions, no matter how desperate we are to get away from the wrong that we do.
If God chose to deal with us according to our sins, the result for us would be death and eternal condemnation in hell. We would be separated from God and from all hope forever. We do not like to talk about that. We do not even like to think about it. Yet the psalmist proclaims good news. In His steadfast love, God does not deal with us according to our sins. He does not repay us according to our iniquities. Instead, God chose to deal with His own beloved Son according to our sins. He chose to repay His own Son according to our iniquities. As the prophet Isaiah foretold concerning the Savior: “He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed … and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5, 6b).
Jesus was nailed to the cross and took the terrible burden of our sin onto Himself. The Savior did not try to get away. He did not come to earth to escape from the cross. The innocent Son of God came to live among us for that purpose, to atone for the sins of the world. Through the forgiveness won for us by His death and resurrection, our sins are separated from us by an immeasurable distance, as high as the heavens are above the earth. Our sins are removed from us as far as the east is from the west, points of the compass that never meet. Daily we repent of our sins and receive God’s forgiveness. Our sins are forever removed from His sight. We do not need to “get away from it all.” It is our sins that are taken away. And how far is that? As far as the heavens are above the earth, as far as the east is from the west, as far as the cross is from the empty tomb—and that is far enough.
WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, deal with me according to Your steadfast love and mercy, and forgive my sins. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions:
- Where did you go on the last really great vacation you took? What did you like most about it?
- How does God give us the chance to get away from our sins, once and for all?
- Does having a daily routine of repenting of your sins seem like a good idea?
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