“Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.” – Psalm 36:4-5
When we’re surrounded by wicked people and their wickedness is before our eyes and in our ears, we can easily find ourselves in a place of grief, sadness, and frustration. David describes this experience well in the opening verses of Psalm 36. Yet, we don’t walk through the valley of the shadow as those without hope, comfort, and a great source of joy. David once again gives us an example and shows us this as He looks upon and proclaims the transcendent goodness of God and His divine preservation of His people.
As we look at the wicked around us in the world, we can easily see the aversion to and rejection of truth and purity, the lack of mercy, the absence of right judgment and justice. (Hosea 4:1, Isaiah 5:7) However, as we look upon Jesus, as we look at the perfection of the nature of the triune God, what is missing and corrupt in the world is present and perfectly right in He who is sovereign over all of His creation. So, as we look upon Him, as David did, we find comfort and direction.
For the goodness of God truly is inexhaustible! His mercy is in the heavens. God’s mercy is infinitely above any of the mercies of His creatures. Though men be merciless against us, seeking to harm and destroy us and our children, we find a never ending supply of divine mercy at the throne of grace. Where the mercy of God reigns in perfection, God graciously and supernaturally gives us complete satisfaction in Him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9
We also are to take comfort and have much joy in His faithfulness! Again, consider the heavenly language David uses here- Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. God is and will be the faithful Judge, as well as our faithful covenant Lord. Christ is our faithful Redeemer and eternal High Priest. Remember that though God allows wicked people to do many wicked things, He is and will be faithful to his threats and promises of judgment against sin. There will be a day of reckoning! Praise the Lord that Christ is also faithful to His covenant people. His faithfulness will never change or be broken. God’s faithfulness reaches so high (to the clouds), pressing to us that it does not change like that of sinful men.
In the midst of stress and distress, it’s also of great comfort to know that God is the God of incontestable and perfect justice and equity! His righteousness is immovable like the mountains. The Lord has never, can never, and will never do any wrong against His creatures. God’s wisdom is infinite and not finite, though men be fallible in their judgments. We fully trust Him as He does all things well (Mark 7:37) with complete wisdom.
So, as God is faithful to care for the beasts, let us not wonder or fear doubting whether God will not provide for, feed, and care for His beloved children even more so. (Matthew 6:26) Rather, may we all be all the more encouraged and uplifted in our thoughts, faith, and walk as we see and meditate more on the person and work of our God for us. For such growth in knowledge, such confidence in Christ’s faithfulness and mercy towards us, helps us in the valley. Lift up your heads and hearts to your Savior, Beloved. He deeply loves, is with, and provides for you!