Psalm 145:8-9, 14-17…“The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.” vs. 14
Since we live in a world that is both good and broken, it is good to know that the Lord upholds us in our brokenness. It’s not that God is simply content with our inability to walk in righteousness, but God actually raises us up and restores our intrinsic goodness. We saw this reality acted out in the ministry of Jesus, who had compassion on people, reached out and touched them, and then offered them complete forgiveness.
This same process takes place regularly in the lives of the faithful and is connected with our rituals of confession and absolution. Even though we don’t want to be broken people, that is what we are, and we are reminded of it nearly every day. As Paul put it, we don’t live as we ought, and we do the things that we don’t want to do. Trying to be good while wearing our human skin wears us out and can drive us to despair.
But God is not content that we remain in that state and has spoken through psalmists, prophets, and Jesus himself to assure us of unconditional love and unrelenting mercy. Our sins are forgiven and we are set free to be good and gracious people, exactly what we were created to be! This is the great Truth of scripture, the very center of our faith, and blessed are those who take God’s mercy and love to heart!
Thought for the Day: When do I need to be reminded of this great truth?
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