How does God view you? That question shapes many of our actions and reactions in life. We often find ourselves counseling with individuals who have these kinds of thoughts stuck in their head over and over again.
Thoughts about God:
- He is ashamed of me.
- He is angry with me.
- He is so disappointed with me.
- He is frustrated with my choices.
Thoughts about yourself:
- I am probably not even saved.
- I have to try harder if God will be happy.
- I am embarrassed about how much I fail.
- I know God is growing tired of all my excuses.
Now consider what God says about you and how he views you.
Psalm 103:6-13
[6] The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
[7] He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
[8] The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
[9] He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
[10] He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
[11] For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
[12] as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
[13] As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. (ESV)
Did you see what God says about you and how he sees you?
- He will help us pursue what is right. (Vs. 6- 7)
- He is not out to get us, but is patient in helping us grow. (Vs. 8)
- He is not trying to embarrass you or feeling embarrassed of you. (Vs. 9)
- He doesn’t keep track of your sin. (Vs. 10)
- He loves you and his love never runs out. (Vs. 11)
- He wants you to know that every forgiven sin is really forgiven. (Vs. 12)
- He is the loving father that we can trust with our problems (Vs. 12)
Why do you we run from God or doubt him? Why do we live in fear, shame, and guilt?
It really is a form of self-righteousness that we think we need to feel bad enough for long enough so that God’s wrath might be satisfied. But the problem is that it never works. We will only run further from God if we beat ourselves up for your mistakes. God doesn’t shame us into obedience; he calls us to trust him as a loving father.
Trying harder is exhausting and puts confidence in us to change. Psalm 103 reminds us of the benefit of pursuing our relationship with God.
Psalm 103:1–2 – Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits (ESV).
These benefits are because of what God has already done for you and how he sees you. Do you trust him? We have to confront the lies we believe with the truth of who God is. God is at work in you and cares deeply about you. Pursue him. You won’t believe the benefits it brings.
