God’s Mercy is Great Toward Those Who Fear Him

ByMarjie

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

Psalm 103:11 KJV

God loves us tremendously, and He displays that love in the way that we need the most – by extending His mercy toward those who fear Him.   

Psalm 106:1 says, “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” 

This phrase is repeated in I Chronicles 16:34 and in Psalms 107:1; 118:1; and 136:1.  Why does God tell us so many times?  He doesn’t want us to forget.

God’s mercy toward us is a result of His goodness.  God is good.  Without His goodness, there would be no mercy.  And without His mercy, all of mankind would be destined for that eternal lake of fire.  But His incredible love for mankind and His everlasting goodness moved Him to sacrifice Himself on our behalf.  

I John 3:16 says, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us…”  

So according to Psalm 103:11, God’s mercy is so great, it is like the distance between the heaven and the earth.  

“…so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” 

God expects us to fear Him?  Yes, but He doesn’t want you to fear Him like you would a big bully who’s been stealing your lunch money and threatening to beat you up.  God is not a bully.  He’s loving and kind, full of goodness, truth, and mercy.  He’s worthy of your trust. 

He wants you to fear Him like you should a police officer or judge.  Wise people show those in authority the respect due their positions, whether they’re talking to the CEO of their company or the President of the United States.  No one with any smarts walks into a courtroom and says to the judge, “Yo, bro, when’s my hearing?”  So if we show respect unto a man due to his position, how much more respect does God deserve?

Therefore, that kind of fear refers to reverential respect; to recognize God in all his sovereignty, majesty, and power.  We show Him the respect due His name because of who He is: Almighty God, our Creator and Savior.  And that’s all that God expects in exchange for His mercy. 

Psalm 103:11 says, “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” 

Do you fear God?

Similar Posts

  • Come Boldly into God’s Presence

    Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 KJV Back in Old Testament times, the people did not have access to God, but today we can come directly to God through His Son, Jesus.   I Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man…

  • Mercy Flows from God’s Love

    And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. Exodus 34:6-7 KJV God cannot…

  • Now’s the Time to Prepare for Eternity

    Psalm 107:1 says, “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”  Because God is exceedingly good, His mercy endureth forever. For without God’s goodness there would be no mercy. His mercy is a vital part of His goodness.  We are to be thankful for His goodness, but we can’t appreciate His goodness if we take for granted His mercy and grace.  To take something…

  • Respect God’s Commandments

    “Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.” Psalm 119:6 KJV According to the dictionary, the word shame means “a feeling of distress or humiliation caused by consciousness of the guilt or folly of oneself or an associate.”  At one time or another we’ve all felt a sense of shame or embarrassment due to our own careless actions or those of someone else. Unfortunately,…

  • God’s Mercies are New Every Day

    It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his com-passions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.  Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV We serve a loving God.  And because of His love, He is merciful to all those who trust in Him. Psalm 103:17-18 says, “But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness…

  • Our Ultimate Authority

    The dictionary definition of rebellion is “open resistance to authority,” and authority is “the power or right to enforce obedience.” There are many today who have that power: our government, law enforcement, most parents, some schools.  There was a day that all parents had that power and the great majority of them gave it to their child’s teacher, but the government is working to strip them of all authority by…