Thankful for Grace

As I read Psalm 36 recently, I was struck by the shocking depravity of the wicked. The first four verses describe them in terms that are a little hard to picture. “Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart.” He is so used to thinking about evil that his inner being is saturated with it; his heart is directed toward evil even when he’s not consciously focused on it. “There is no fear of God before his eyes.” He is so arrogant against God that he can commit atrocities in sacred places and against the most innocent or virtuous people without even batting an eye. “It flatters him in his own eyes concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it.” When good people uncover his sin and protest it, he is actually proud that his wickedness was vile enough to have caught people’s attention. “The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; he has ceased to be wise and to do good.” He has abandoned both common sense and common decency to the extent that all his words and deeds are wicked and destructive. “He plans wickedness upon his bed.” He actually stays awake at night thinking of and planning more ways to do more evil. “He sets himself on a path that is not good; he does not despise evil.” Instead of avoiding evil, he actually puts himself in a position to pursue it. It is no secret that there are wicked people in the world, but this passage exposes the depth of depravity they can reach.

After this appalling picture of the wicked, the next five verses present an extreme contrast. They describe the incredible magnificence of God, talking about Him in terms of the highest, the deepest, the most secure, the most abundant, and the most vibrant. “Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O LORD, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” God is good, noble, loving, and faithful. He expresses those attributes by graciously reaching out to man and the rest of His creation. (Pretty amazing in light of man’s depravity.)

The final three verses give the conclusion, which shows the interaction between God and man. There is a prayer for God to continue His lovingkindness to the righteous and to protect them from the wicked. Because God does not change, He will continually extend His goodness to those who love Him. Because He is righteous, He will also bring judgment on the wicked, something that the final verse describes.

God does not respond the same way to the wicked as He does to His children. The wicked face certain judgment, while Christians enjoy the immeasurable depths of God’s lovingkindness. Why am I in the second group instead of the first? It is by God’s grace. I am reminded of the quotation attributed to English pastor John Bradford as he watched prisoners being led to the gallows: “There but for the grace of God, go I.” I could be like the wicked described in the first four verses of Psalm 36. Instead I am someone who is able to experience the immense blessing of the God who is described in verses 5-9.

I didn’t earn that difference for myself, and I don’t deserve it based on who I am. It is God’s grace that designed the plan of salvation. God’s grace was extended when Jesus died on the cross to provide that salvation. God’s grace put me in a setting where I could hear of His salvation. His grace softened my heart to accept salvation. After salvation, God’s grace has kept me from wandering away and has drawn my heart closer to Him. God’s grace, just like the God described in this psalm, is amazing. When I look at the opening of Psalm 36 and realize what I could be and the judgment I could face, I am very thankful for the grace of God.

“But by the grace of God I am what I am.” I Corinthians 15:10 (NASB)