Dove Awards: Reverent WonderSample

Reverence: Mercy in the Storms of Life

By: Gloria Gaither

Did you ever handle a mud dauber’s nest? It, like us, is made from the breath and saliva of its maker mixed with a little dusty earth. If a strong hand holds one, it must be tender or it will crumble—even when the hand is trying to be careful.

God holds just such a fragile creation in His mighty hand. He knows that we are dust because He made us Himself—from the dust of the earth and His own breath. 

Psalm 103:10-14 NKJV reminds us that God gives mercy to those who fear(respect, revere)Him: “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”

When things happen to us in the natural course of life on this earth, we feel as if we are about to crumble and sometimes ignorantly ask, “Is God doing this to me? Why is He being so hard on me? What have I done to deserve this?” 

Don’t fool yourself—if God was truly being hard on you, His mighty hand would make a puff of smoke out of you. 

Rest assured, His hand is holding you—tenderly, surrounding you so that the pulverizing forces of life won’t destroy you. He’s protecting you more than you realize. 

Do you deserve His mercy? Or life’s storms? That is beside the point. He loves you—that’s all. He feels deeply sorry that you hurt so. He has removed your transgressions from you and holds you in His hands. He remembers that you are dust.

Response: What is your response to God when a storm hits your life? What can you personally learn from Psalm 103:10-4 about reverence?

Scripture: Psalm 103:10-14, Revelation 3:19