Renewed, reset, revitalized, and recharged are all fine words but fall short of the Biblical view of being renewed. Our previous article on Psalm 103 ended with verse five. “Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.” (Psalm 103:5, NASB 2020) In my years, I’ve yet to see someone old suddenly become young. The question for this stave of the Psalm begins with what does God’s renewal look like.
“The Lord performs righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the sons of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in mercy. He will not always contend with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our guilty deeds. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our wrongdoings from us.” (Psalm 103:6–12, NASB 2020)
The answer begins with the Lord’s righteous acts, justice for the oppressed, and knowing His ways. In “His Ways”, we discover the answer to our question about being renewed.
What are the ways of the Lord? He is compassionate, gracious, merciful, and slow to anger. There will be discipline, but His anger will only last for a moment. He does not deal with us according to our sins or reward us according to our guilt. That, my friends, is grace and mercy. The psalmist emphasizes that by expressing the impossible to comprehend mercy. When God forgives, it is finished.
This renewal is more than just being recharged like a battery. When the Bible speaks of renewal, it is something more profound. Paul writes, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NASB 2020) When we accept Christ and recieve our forgiveness, we are not retreaded old tires but a brand new creation. We are renewed, made new, beyond our wildest dreams.
There are many who consider themselves unworthy to call on Christ’s name. God hasn’t turned down anyone yet, no matter what sins have stained their heart. No one is worthy. Isaiah foresaw something about this marvelous renewal through forgiveness, mercy, and grace. “Come, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18, CSB) I don’t know if you have ever tried to “undye” a red garment, the best you can get it to is a dull pink. But God can take, does take, our sin-stained hearts and make them clean again, pure again, and whole again.
If this is all new to you and you’d like to be clean, be forgiven, and be made new the path is an easy one. Recognize your sin and your need for a savior. Tell God about it in your own words. Ask God to forgive you through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. That first prayer begins a lifetime into God’s ways. Tell someone about your new life.
If this is an old hat for you. Renew your love by recalling that God also forgave your sins. It is too easy to get busy with doing Christian things and lose our first love. As we walk deeper with Jesus, the recognition of His forgiveness should grow stronger as we see more about ourselves than when we first began this faith journey. It should leave you wondering a bit why God has compassion on us at all.
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