Monday, April 27, 2026

           Psalm 78 is a little past halfway through Psalms. We believe it was written as a musical offering of praise to the Lord.  It reads as a chapter that could have easily been sung in worship to the Lord.  When we read this Psalm, we learn some important lessons about God’s compassion and forgiveness. For example, Psalm 78:38-39 says, “Yet He was merciful; He forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time He restrained his anger and did not stir up His full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.” It is comforting to know that God is gracious, kind and forgiving when we come to Him in contrition and humility.  A few important truths stand out in these two verses for us to see.
            First, we read the word “yet.” God sees and knows our sins, yet He offers us forgiveness when we turn to Him. Our sins do not have the last word. We do not have to remain saddled with the guilt and shame of our sins. God has a solution. God has a
perfect “yet” or way to respond to anything we confess. God is not surprised by our sins. He already knows what we have done. We are already guilty. Yet, the cross has the power to cancel and cover our sins—and not just for a moment but for eternity.  Second, we read “He was merciful” and “He forgave.” Only God has the ability and right to forgive sins. We cannot forgive ourselves. No church can forgive us. We cannot offset our sins
with a pile of good deeds. God is gracious in that he gives us what we have not deserved.  And He is merciful in that He has withheld what we do deserve.  When God forgives, He scatters our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). The Bible says that “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us for our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10). If you are guilty or ashamed today, bow your head before the Lord now, confess your sins and ask for His mercy and forgiveness. He will hear you and pardon your sins!
            Third, God restrains His anger today. He would be perfectly justified in condemning us and destroying us here and now for how we have lived. We have chosen our ways above His ways and loved ourselves much more than we have loved Him. But now is the time of God’s grace and favor. Now is the time when the Lord beckons us to come to Him and accept His free grace.  God unleashed His wrath and anger at the cross—Christ took that penalty in our place and for us. He gave His life so we might be free from the penalty and burden of sin now and, more importantly, for eternity.
            Fourth, God remembers that we are “but flesh.” He knows our weaknesses and limitations. He knows our failures and frailties. He remembers we are flesh and that our flesh is weak. Jesus said to His disciples, when they fell asleep in the Garden of
Gethsemane, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Psalm 103:14 says, “for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.” God sees us as we are—sinful, failures and brokenness. Yet, He does love us and has done everything necessary and imaginable to redeem us from sin and set us free. When others frustrate us, we should remember that they are “but flesh,” just as we are “but flesh” too. One day this flesh will give way to spirit and God will make all things new. But for now, He remembers we are “but flesh.” We can be thankful that God’s love for us is never conditional upon anything we have done or not done or anything we may be or fail to be. God’s love is anchored in His unchanging character and grace.  And for that, we rejoice.  Have a great Monday—and spend some time in the encouraging words of Psalm 78!