“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 103:13-14.

There is a fascinating connection between these verses and Genesis 2:7: God formed man from the dust of the ground. The Hebrew word for formed is “yatsar,” which is closely related to “yetser,” meaning frame. Psalm 103 seems to deliberately bring us back to the fundamental reality: the God who formed us (yastar) from the dust knows exactly how fragile the frame (yester) He made is.

I don’t know if you have ever struggled with the thought that the only time our Heavenly Father is really pleased with us is when we are performing for Him at an almost perfect level of excellence. I know I have. If I were to be honest, I hold myself to extremely high performance expectations internally and never quite feel like I am measuring up. Sometimes it’s very hard for me to relax because I feel like I should be doing more to advance God’s kingdom on earth. Sometimes I even feel guilty for relaxing. I’m not talking about my salvation. I have trusted in Christ alone for that, but I’m talking about the desire to do well for the Lord and to not let Him down when it comes to the life I have surrendered fully to Him. 

Recently, I once again read these beautiful and refreshing words from Scripture. God has compassion on those of us who love and fear him because He knows what he made. He created tender, fragile vessels, and He, perhaps much better than we, understands our limitations and frailties. We all live with the insecurity and fear that we will fail or not meet the standards set for us by society, our family, our career environment, or even ourselves. This is actually very normal for those of us who live with fallen bodies, minds, understanding, and in a fallen world. However, we must regularly remember the words in Psalm 103:8, our Heavenly Father is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love. 

“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor does He repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love for those who fear him” Psalm 103:10-11. 

I don’t know what has you worried today, but I invite you to remember that you have a loving Heavenly Father who loves you far more than you love your own children, and because of that, everything will be okay!