Psalm 103:8-13

“As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.” vs. 13 

Scripture regularly uses the metaphor “father” to describe the relationship of God to humanity. And because most people have extensive experience with fathers, the metaphor is useful. Here the psalm describes God’s compassion as being like that of a father for his children, and, because we may have experienced a father’s compassion,  we have a general sense of what he’s getting at. 

But still the metaphor is limited. Not all fathers are compassionate and some have had fathers who are stern and unyielding. It could even be that the most compassionate figures in our lives have been our mothers! So it’s important for us not to get caught up in any metaphor that describes the compassion of God. In truth, God’s compassion is really incomparable because God’s steadfast love goes far beyond anything we have ever experienced.   As the psalmist himself says, “God’s love is as great as the heavens are high above the earth.”

This doesn’t mean that we should never use metaphors in speaking of God. At times they can offer insights that can’t be articulated in any other way. God is gracious and merciful and abounding in steadfast love, and there are both masculine and feminine images that we can use in describing that Divine Presence. The more varied our description the more accurate it is bound to be!

Thought for the Day: What is my favorite metaphor for the love of God?