Mercy at the Edge
I suspect that none of us have been or will ever go to the end of the earth, but there certainly have been moments when you thought you had. And this phrase, “to the ends of the earth,” carries very different meanings in scripture.
In Acts 1:8, Luke records Jesus as saying this at his ascension:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
This verse is in reference to the instructions given to us about making disciples of all nations. As we read the book of Acts and follow the life of the apostles in the epistles, we see how the reach of the message of Jesus kept expanding. According to Jesus, it will one day reach all nations and every knee will bow before the King of kings. The “ends of the earth” references the complete reach of Jesus throughout the world.
In Psalm 61 we find a similar phrase with a different meaning. The first two verses of this psalm say:
“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
“From the end of the earth” in this context suggests that David is calling out to God from utter despair, much like we might when we say we are at the end of our rope. We just can’t hold on any longer; we need God’s intervention and help!
David indicates that he has found refuge and help in the shelter of God’s wings, in his tent, and in the rock that is higher than himself and his desperation. There is no way to escape times of suffering in this world. They come to us all. They sometimes come out of the blue, sometimes through our mistakes, and sometimes just because we live in a fallen world. And the psalmist and Jesus indicate that sometimes they come because we are chasing after God and doing his will.
It is good to remember, though, that when we reach those desperate situations, we can call out to God from the depths of our crisis and be assured that he hears us and will respond to our need with his comfort and with his provision.
The familiar shepherd’s psalm ends with a powerful reminder: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…” God’s goodness and mercy is right there behind us, catching us in our moments of loss and difficulty. And because of God’s mercy and grace, we know that as we do our work of sharing Christ’s love to the ends of the earth, God will be with us in and through our difficulties until we finally realize that we are dwelling in his house forever!
Father, thank you for your promise that we can cry out to you in despair. Thank you for your son, Jesus, our Savior who experienced complete despair that we might be forgiven and dwell with you forever. We trust you to meet our every need. And we surrender our lives to be used to meet the needs of someone today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Psalm 61:1-8 ESV
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