In our world, people are regularly wounded through being treated harshly. From snarky comments to flagrant abuse, the posture of our culture is generally not tenderness. And it often seems that those who hold the most power, are the least gentle. Psalm 103 presents a different picture of the exercise of power, one that is attractive and inviting – one that is tender.
In Psalm 103:13-18 (NLT) we learn:
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
15 Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
16 The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
18 of those who are faithful to his covenant,
of those who obey his commandments!
19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne;
from there he rules over everything.
A Speck of Dust
Now, you may not have been aware of this, but when you got ready to sit down this morning, a speck of dust awaited you on your seat. How have you treated it?
Perhaps you sat on it and squished it; perhaps you brushed it away; perhaps you totally ignored it, taking no notice of it at all. Likely you had far more important things to give your attention to than that speck of dust.
Possibly, if there was an extra helping on your chair, you treated it as if you despised it and either wiped it up and threw away the Kleenex you used or found someplace else to sit.
This passage gets in my face about who I am. I am dust. But this in-my-face truth prepares me to deeply appreciate what comes next.
God's Compassion and Tenderness
In the context of my inherent weakness and limits, God highlights his tenderness and compassion.
We are limited – grass-like and dusty – and the awareness of that stirs God to compassion and tenderness.
Not disdain,
not lording it over us,
not taking advantage,
not impatient exasperation,
not ignoring us as something too insignificant to be bothered with –
rather tenderness and compassion.
That’s not how I treat dust, do you?
What a beautiful God we have who would treat dusty, grass-like creatures like that!
Doesn’t that make you want to worship!
We are frail creatures - easily broken; not firm or durable; liable to fail and perish.
No matter how much iron we pump, no matter how many vitamins we take, no matter how much wealth we accumulate, no matter how hard we study and how smart we become – we are grass-like and dusty.
No matter how many nights we work late into the night sacrificing sleep, no matter how many hours of overtime we work to meet the project deadline, no matter how much studying I do to get an advanced degree –I am grass-like and dusty. The wind is going to blow, and it will be like I was never here.
I think that could seem a bit scary or depressing. It could lead me to have a hopeless, “Why bother?” attitude.
But in the same breath that we’re told we’re grass-like and dusty – we see something beautiful. Even before we’re told we are frail and vulnerable - hard words to hear - God is already reassuring and comforting us.
He lets us know that he is tender and compassionate (Psalm 103:13 NLT).
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
Then, right after our grass-like dustiness is made plain, we’re told in verse 17: God’s love remains forever.
This great Lord, who rules over everything (v. 19) is compassionate, tender, and loving.
Isn’t he beautiful!
Questions for Reflection
-What places in your life are you especially aware of being frail and easily broken?
-How have you been treated by others when your weaknesses were obvious?
-Were there ever people in your life who were tender and compassionate toward your weaknesses? What was that like? What was it like when people were not tender and compassionate toward your weaknesses?
-This week, try listing 2 ways each day that you see the Lord treating you tenderly. (He may use other people to show you his tenderness, so feel free to include examples of things others have done.)
Photo by Bao Menglong on Unsplash