“The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
He will not always strive 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 iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalm 103:8-12 (NASB)
Have you ever had deep regrets about something? I’ve had plenty in my lifetime. Have you ever mumbled to yourself, things like this:
“What was I thinking?, “Why did I trust him?”, “Why did I ever confide in her?”, “What made me do that?”, or “Why didn’t I say this or that when I had the chance?”
We have all had experiences where we were hurt by being either too naive and trusting, or have hurt others by being in a careless and carnal state of mind. There are things in all of our pasts that we have lived to regret.
Whether we were hurt or hurt others, we can find ourselves living with a deep sense of regret, wishing we could go back and have the chance to do it over. I know what regret feels like, but what about God? Does He ever regret His faithfulness to us, or regret showing us His abundant mercy?
These verses from Psalm 103 tell us that He does not. God is abounding in lovingkindness. He removes our sins as far as the East is from the West. That means He never regrets showing mercy or having forgiven us of anything as long as we have done our part by confessing it. He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5)
God never has second thoughts, and He never thinks, “This person has fallen too often, so I’m done with him or her.” God never stops pursuing us, loving us, and believing in us. He has no regrets because His nature is “slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.” The heart of God is perpetually full of love and hope for you and me.
If we trust in His son as our Savior, we will never receive what our past sins deserve. This Psalm is a description of grace, in saying “He will not keep anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. His lovingkindness is over those who fear Him”.
David wrote these words under the inspiration of the Spirit, and if anyone lived a life of God’s grace, David did.
We may fall but we stand up again by His grace. It sounds like we serve a God who has absolutely no regrets in forgiving us and showering us with mercy.
As I wrote this meditation, I overheard a TV interview with a Neuroscientist regarding faith and the brain. She has a doctorate in Neuro psychoanalysis, and yet she made a complex subject so simple to grasp.
Neuroscience research has found that our brains have the ability to learn to be responsive rather than reactive. It’s called neuro plasticity and it means that wherever we direct our attention to, is where our neurons, or nerve cells of our brain, will grow.
This scientific finding supports the belief that a person of faith grows neurons, and can renew their mind and transform their energy by willfully directing their attention on God, through prayer or reading scripture. This neuro plasticity is what maintains a healthy renewed mind.
The next time regret or any negative thoughts overcrowd your mind, reread these verses in Psalm 103. If God has no regrets toward loving and forgiving us, then we should have no more regrets over our past, which has been surrendered to Jesus.
Lord, your love for us is so overwhelming. You forgive us again and again, and never regret it. Help us today, to direct our attention to you in every situation, and to live in the full freedom of your lovingkindness and mercy. Amen