not good enough

Yet he saved them for his name's sake,

that he might make known his mighty power.

Psalm 106:8

Thank God that we don’t have to be good enough for Him to save us. We don’t “make the grade”. We can’t. God does all the efforts when He saves sinners.

The 106th psalm retells the history of Israel in an epic song. And the rise and fall of the melody line follows Israel’s failures to trust God contrasted with God’s unfailing faithfulness to save them. From this repeated ballad of God’s faithfulness we see God’s mercy shown to sinners.

Why does God save? It is for His name’s sake. He brings glory to Himself in saving sinners. He brought Israel out of Egypt, only to have them immediately rebel against Him at the shore of the Red Sea as Pharaoh’s army rumbled toward them. What did God do? Did He give up on them like they gave up on Him? No. He responded in mercy and with great power and parted a sea so Israel could escape, and then He threw that same sea down on the Egyptian army to drown them. God saves in mercy. God redeems in love. None of it is conditioned on human goodness or effort.

Lord,

For Your Name’s sake You save us. You make known Your mighty power in each life that You redeem through the gospel. You do what we cannot. We are helplessly trapped rebels. And You in mercy do the saving. We needed a Savior. Jesus, You came, gave Yourself completely for us, and now the enemies of death and hell have been defeated, just as surely as Egyptians were swept into the drowning depths of the Red Sea. Continue to make known Your mighty power in saving sinners!

Amen