Our Place in the Grand Scheme — Psalm 103

A text — Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13
103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits–
103:3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
103:4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
103:5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
103:6 The LORD works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.
103:7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
103:9 He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.
103:10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
103:11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.
103:13 As a father has compassion for his children, so the LORD has compassion for those who fear him.

A reflection:

What is our place in the grand scheme of things? Of course, some folks believe there is no grand scheme at all. What happens, happens.

But as believers in Jesus, we do have a kind of grand scheme. If we are followers of Jesus, our grand scheme is the grand scheme he taught about: the Kingdom of God, or the Reign of God. God, Jesus’s heavenly parent, the Creator of the Universe, is the one we all worship and glorify, just as Jesus did. Our status is much lower than God’s. To better link us with God, Jesus, God’s own son, emptied himself of god-ness to do the work of reconnecting us to the Creator. He did it for all human beings. He made room for a huge community of God and God’s children, a great circle of connected human beings glorifying the God who brings us together.

Jesus’s work was to connect God, the Creator and Ruler of the Universe, to humans. To get that work done, Jesus turned all the usual status ideas upside down as he worked. Jesus became as lowly as possible to lift others up high. Jesus worked miracles when he turned status upside down, when he took low status to raise others up. A person can do that in life only if you are sure of 2 things: you know your own place in the grand scheme of things, and you know who loves you.

So, what is our place in the grand scheme of things? This psalm gives us the answer. All we have to do is to remember all the great works of God, from Creation to justice and love, and remember who benefits from all those works (us!). If we think about that even for 5 minutes, we know our place. We are far from the top, but we are the beloved children of the One who is at the top. That gives us ease, humility, and endless energy to use on behalf of others. And when we feel all used up, God replenishes us.

This is a great place to be, in the grand scheme of things, at whatever time in history we live. Think of the good we can do, even the risks we can take, when we know our place in God’s universe.

A prayer:

Gracious God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us an endless supply of your love to use for others. Remind us to spend it out and be replenished.   Amen.