He Knows Our Frame

“When Satan tempts me to despair, 

And tells me of the guilt within, 

Upward I look, and see him there

Who made an end of all my sin.”

~ Before the Throne ~

Grace. That little word holds such a profound and life changing meaning. I know I never fully comprehend what it means. It seems that just when I think I understand it, some circumstance in my life reveals just how little I know about the grace of God.

grace - to find favor in the eyes of someone, to be acceptable to him, unmerited favor

When I believed in Christ as the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit came and dwelt inside of me, I changed. The Lord brought me from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light (Col. 1:13). My entire identity changed because of Him, in that He made me His child and co-heir with Christ.

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, 

that we would be called children of God; and such we 

are. For this reason the world does not know us, 

because it did not know Him.”

1 John 3:1

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are 

children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God 

and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him 

so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

Romans 8:16-17

That being said, there is one thing that didn’t change. And that is my flesh. I sometimes forget that a battle rages inside of me daily. The battle between the Spirit of God living inside of me and the flesh that destroys me.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out 

the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire 

against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for 

these are in opposition to one another, so that you may 

not do the things that you please.”

Galatians 5:16-17

And when I forget or lose sight of this battle, I am caught off guard by my sin. When I fail to walk by the Spirit and the flesh wins, I am left discouraged and dispirited. I want to hide from the very One who has the power to deliver me from the sins I have committed, too ashamed to face Him. “He must be so disappointed in me.” 

But is this true?

“Just as a father has compassion on his children, so 

the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. 

For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that 

we are but dust.”

Psalm 103:14-15

As our Father, He is compassionate towards us, and remembers the fact that we are but dust. He is not surprised by our weaknesses, or by our failures. Does He condone them? Certainly not. But is He disappointed in us? No. He is compassionate towards His children.

Christ Jesus, our Savior and the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), is our High Priest. He is the One who makes propitiation for our sins (Heb. 2:17). And He understands.

“For since He Himself was tempted in that which He 

has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those 

who are tempted.”

Hebrews 2:18

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize 

with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in 

all things as we are, yet without sin.”

Hebrews 4:15

Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses. He’s been there. The only difference is, He never caved or gave in. He was sinless. But He still understands. And He can come to our aid when we are tempted to give into our flesh. How precious is this? What hope! 

So my encouragement to you is this: when you fail, when you sin, don’t let that keep you from seeking the face of God. Don’t let Satan temp you to despair. When those feelings of utter unworthiness consume you, remember who you are in Christ. You and I ARE unworthy. We are nothing apart from Him. But as His children, we are forgiven. We must remember His grace.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, 

the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to 

the riches of His grace...”

Ephesians 1:7

Now, I am not condoning sin. You and I must repent and turn from our sins. We cannot continue in sin.

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so 

that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall 

we who died to sin still live in it?” 

Romans 6:1-2

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under 

law but under grace? May it never be!”

Romans 6:15

The grace of God is indescribably beautiful. But it is not to be abused. We are still called to be obedient to His commands and precepts. We have died to sin, and must not live in it. Sin must not be a habitual thing in our lives as believers.

But when we do sin, we must confess it from a broken and sincere heart. True repentance will equal a turning away from those sins. And when we do this, God will forgive us.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous 

to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all 

unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken 

and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

Psalm 51:17

So take heart. The Lord is never surprised by our weaknesses, and He is compassionate towards those of us who are His children. He remembers we are but dust. And He forgives us when we repent and cry out to Him from a broken heart. 

So don’t become dispirited by the times you fail. When you lose the battle between the flesh and the Spirit. We may lose a battle here and there, but Christ Jesus has already won the war!

“Because a sinless Savior died, 

My sinful soul is counted free; 

For God, the Just, is satisfied

To look on Him and pardon me”

~ Before the Throne ~