Psalm 113

Drift Toward Deserve

Grace is the love and favor that God freely gives us, not because we have earned it or deserve it, but because of who He is. By definition, grace is not something we can earn. To receive grace means receiving something we do not deserve. 2 Timothy 1:9 says, "For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time, to show us his grace through Christ Jesus."

That is the greatest news we could ever hear, yet we have a natural bent to drift away from grace and toward what we think we deserve. The grace of God is so astounding and so contrary to how the world works that we start building a life of faith one brick at a time on the platform of deserving, not on the gift Jesus gave us. If faith rests on what I deserve, I will either get lost in shame or lost in spiritual pride. Either way I am lost. Think of the parable of the prodigal sons. The younger son was lost through his own choices. The older son was lost because he was convinced of his own goodness and superiority. We drift toward what feels sensible, where people get what they have earned. Actions have consequences. We reap what we sow. We want the guilty brought to justice. We applaud integrity and resent corruption. Right and wrong should have consequences. And yet God cuts through all of it. The death and resurrection of Jesus opens an invitation for anyone who calls on the name of the Lord to be forgiven and saved. The worst of the worst are welcomed home alongside the best of the best.

This is why it is vital to keep talking about grace, singing about grace, and filling our minds with grace. When grace is not the foundation, shame and regret become a ceiling over our lives, or pride and a religious self-centered ego convince us that God is indebted to us. Consciously or unconsciously, even while reading the Bible or singing on Sundays, hearts and minds drift back to what we think we deserve. A significant part of discipleship is intentionally building our faith on a deep understanding and appreciation of grace, and actively resisting our tendency to drift toward deserving.

Who Compares

Psalm 113 becomes a perfect springboard to talk about grace. Much of its language echoes Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel, and like so many psalms it begins by magnifying the goodness of God. Then comes the disruptive question. Psalm 113:5 says, "Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high?"

What a question. Who can be compared with the Lord our God? Line up any deity, religion, philosophy, or worldview and ask, what makes Him different, what sets Him apart? The answer this message draws out is grace. Across history, humanity has searched for God and tried to become worthy of His attention. Most answers revolve around what we must do. Become better. Complete the rituals. Make more sacrifices. Practice the disciplines. Live more morally. Worship more faithfully. Achieve enlightenment. Make yourself worthy. Everyone says do more, except Jesus. Jesus taught us to approach God as our heavenly Father. When He teaches on prayer, He does not point to eloquence or length as the key. He invites children to come to a loving Father. Who compares with the Lord our God? No one. Because grace is His way with people.

He Stoops Down

Here is the role reversal that defines the gospel. Psalm 113:6 says, "He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth." While humanity spends millennia trying to reach up, the extraordinary message of Christianity is that God reached down. We could not earn His love, achieve His perfection, or make ourselves holy enough. So God took the initiative, not because we had impressed Him, but because of grace. He owes us nothing and gives us what we could never earn.

If you want an illustration of how far short we fall, consider how high humanity can reach. The NBA vertical jump record is 48 inches. The Burj Khalifa stands 2,717 feet. Mount Everest rises 29,032 feet. The farthest humans have traveled from Earth is 252,756 miles. Impressive numbers, and yet the observable universe stretches roughly 93 billion light years. The ratio is so extreme that even comparing the thickness of a human hair to the distance from Earth to the Moon a thousand times still does not capture it. Every other religious attempt or spiritual philosophy hangs on our ability to bridge that kind of gap. The promise of the Bible is that the one true God is not waiting for us to reach high enough. He crossed the distance.

James 4:8a says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you … (NKJV)." Take a single step toward Him and you discover He has already come the entire way toward you. None of us is saved because we did a great job getting close to God. We are saved and forgiven and welcomed into His kingdom because He made it possible. He brought us forgiveness at the cross. He promises to set us free. He is the Father inviting us home. Take even one step and you find the God who stoops down has done it all.

From Dust to Princes

The psalmist does not stop with God looking down. He shows God acting. Psalm 113:7 says, "He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump." Sit with that image. Dust and a garbage dump signal the most desperate circumstances, whether literal poverty that makes survival a daily scramble or the emotional desolation that leaves someone hollow with despair. Into those moments, God stoops down and lifts up.

This humbling of God, His willingness to descend, is the heart of the story of Jesus’ earthly life. The eternal Son of God took His place among His creation and was born as a baby. He spent time with the ultra-wealthy and powerful as well as those in the dust and at the dump. He washed His disciples’ feet, a shocking act that sparked objections because of how lowly it was. And the supreme demonstration of His stooping was when He was brutally beaten, tortured, and willingly went to the cross.

Then Psalm 113 turns the image further. Psalm 113:8-9 says, "He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people! 9 He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the Lord!" This is grace in full color. God does not simply rescue people from where they were. He lifts them into a future they never dreamed possible. In a culture where children meant blessing, legacy, and belonging, the pain of barrenness carried grief and shame. The God who lifts the poor from the dust also sees the hidden ache nobody else understands. Grace moves people from hopelessness to a future we could never have achieved. Not every struggle vanishes in an instant, but He can do with a life what we could never imagine on our own.

Take It Personally

It is not surprising that we drift. We drift because grace is illogical, counter-intuitive, and unfair. The New Testament does not shy away from the ridicule grace receives. We also drift because we forget what the dust and garbage dump felt like. If we do not care about the problem, we will not care about the solution.

Jesus puts this right in front of us. Luke 18:9-14 says, "Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 'Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people, cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ 13 'But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 'I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.'"

Take this personally. The parable of the prodigal sons shows an older brother close to the father’s house, even witnessing the father’s anguish for the younger son, yet not sharing the father’s heart. It is possible to be in proximity to the things of God and miss the Father’s heart of grace. Do not settle for nearness without resemblance. Ask Him to give you His heart.

Correct The Story

The culture’s default story about God is earn-and-deserve, and too often the church echoes it. Consider the data. 82 percent of people surveyed perceived that the Christian life is summed up as trying hard to do what God commands. 48 percent of the American population believe Heaven is the reward for being a good person. 81 percent of self-identified Christians agreed that spiritual maturity means trying hard to follow the rules in the Bible. We need to correct this thinking in the church so the church can correct the culture. We have a generational responsibility to faithfully teach and represent grace.

The weight of this message is not go home and do better. It is to keep the promise of grace front and center every day, letting it shape how you think, how you make sense of life, how you read the Bible, how you treat people, and who you are becoming. One helpful tool to make daily Bible reading a habit is the Word of Life App. Our church reading plan lives there, all of us together. Get the app here.

A Better Grade

Imagine going back to elementary school. One day the teacher announces a very difficult quiz. Papers go out and everyone starts writing. Some do their best. Some doodle. Some are confident. Some know they have failed.

When it is time to hand it in, the teacher stands and says, "My Son has taken the test and He’s filled out enough copies for everyone. If you want, He will write your name on the test He’s already completed, and when you hand the test that my Son filled out that has your name on it, that’s the grade you’ll get!" Someone asks, "What do I do with my old test?" The teacher answers, "We’ll shred that and never think about it again." Someone else protests, "How is this fair?" and the Son replies, "It isn’t, but we care about you too much to let you face the consequences of failing this test."

Some rush to accept the offer. Some take time to consider. Others reject it and submit their own paper. When the grading is done, the only students who pass are those who turned in the Son’s completed work instead of their own. That is grace. Not because we deserved it, but because He did what we could not.

So keep grace in view. Do not let it fade into background noise. Consider it. Ponder it. Talk about it. Ask other believers what they have learned about it. The one true God stoops down, rescues hopeless people, lifts them up, gives them a life they could never have daydreamed about, and promises eternal life with Him. It is never because we have done enough or been good enough. It is because we have accepted His invitation to come home.

Remember and Respond

Communion is reflective and solemn on purpose, to keep us anchored in the cost of grace and the love that paid it. Luke 22:19 says, "He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.'" Luke 22:20 says, "After supper he took another cup of wine and said, 'This cup is the new covenant between God and his people, an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.'"

Share your story of grace. What amazes you most about God’s grace? How has God’s grace made a difference in your life?