the cause for hope

"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,

 who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

 who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

 who satisfies you with good

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's...

"He does not deal with us according to our sins, 

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

 as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

 As a father shows compassion to his children, 

so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.

 For he knows our frame; 

he remembers that we are dust." - Psalm 103:1-5, 10-14

It is striking to me that in these words there is very little for humans to do towards God.  This passage is about how God acts towards us.  I am called to fear him, receive his grace towards me, and praise him for who he is.  This is great news for me because I know my spiritual and moral weakness all too well.  I know that left to my own strength and efforts at goodness I am an utter failure.  On my own I do indeed dwell in the pit of my own iniquity and spiritual sickness.  

Yet I have hope because God is proactive in his love.  He does not wait until I am able to do better.  He knows that I am dust, that I am weak.  And so he takes the initiative.  This Psalm (like all mention of God's redemption of humans) makes God the sole agent in what we would call salvation.  He alone is the one who forgives.  He alone heals and redeems.  He crowns, satisfies, and renews.  I am not able to earn or effect these things, I can only receive them from his hand.  This is my cause for hope; that God, knowing how weak and corrupt my heart is, doesn't deal with me according to my heart but according to his.