The Kiss of Grace | Where Heaven and Earth Collide

It is so wonderful to hear how the Holy Spirit uses specific passages to anchor our souls. There is something deeply profound about a verse that doesn’t just give us information but provides a “resting place” for our hearts over several days of reflection.

Psalm 85:10-11 is often called the “Meeting Place of Heaven,” where God’s seemingly opposite attributes—like His uncompromising justice and His tender mercy—finally embrace.

I’ve said it before on this blog, and I’m sure I’ll say it again: some scriptures simply stop you in your tracks. As I was looking back through hundreds of my previous posts, trying to find my old reflections on this passage, I realized that even if I found it, I have fresh things to say. This verse is a well that never runs dry.

I have spent the last few days letting these words settle into my soul. In a world that feels fractured and chaotic, these two verses offer a peace that is so thick, so tangible, and so comforting that I can’t help but be awestruck every time I read them.

Scripture

“Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven.”

— Psalm 85:10-11 (NLT)

What Does It Mean?

At first glance, these verses read like beautiful poetry, but if we look closer, we see a miraculous “meeting” taking place.

In our human experience, Truth and Mercy (Unfailing Love) often feel like they are at odds. Truth demands that we be honest about our failings, while mercy wants to forgive them. Righteousness demands justice, while peace longs for reconciliation.

Before Christ, these four attributes were like parallel lines that could never touch. How could God be perfectly Just (Righteousness) and still give peace to sinners? How could He be perfectly True to His Word regarding sin, yet remain Unfailingly Loving?

The answer is found in these verses. In God’s Kingdom, these virtues aren’t about fighting; they’re about embracing. The Hebrew imagery suggests a “kiss”—a moment of perfect reconciliation. Because of what Jesus did on the Cross, God didn’t have to choose between being just and being loving. He was both.

Application

How do we let this settle into our hearts today?

• Release the Tension: Many of us live in fear that if we are “truthful” about our messes, we will lose God’s “love.” Psalm 85 tells us they have met together. You don’t have to hide your truth to receive His love.
• Look Up and Look Down: Verse 11 says truth springs from the earth and righteousness smiles from heaven. This means God is working from both ends! He is working in the “dirt” of our daily lives (the earth) and watching over us with a smile of approval (heaven).
• Rest in the Embrace: If you feel restless or guilty, remember that Righteousness and Peace have “kissed.” If you are in Christ, God is not looking at you with a scowl of judgment, but with the peace of a finished work.

Takeaway

God is not divided against Himself. He doesn’t have to “turn off” His holiness to show you kindness. Today, take a deep breath and realize that you are standing at the intersection of God’s greatest attributes.

You are fully known (Truth) and yet fully squeezed in an eternal hug (Unfailing Love). Let that peace settle into your soul today. It’s okay to stay here for a while.

Prayer

“Heavenly Father, 
I stand awestruck by the way
 You love me. Thank You 
for the mystery of Psalm 85—the place
where Your unfailing love and Your 
absolute truth meet in a holy embrace.
Lord, when I am afraid of my own failings, 
remind me that Your righteousness and Your 
peace have kissed. I don’t have to choose 
between being honest and being loved; in 
You, I am both fully known and fully accepted. 
Let the ‘truth springing from the earth’ remind 
me that You are present in my daily messes, 
and let the ‘righteousness smiling from heaven’ 
give me the confidence to look up today. 
I settle my heart in the comfort of 
Your finished work.
In Jesus’ Name Amen.”

I’m linking up this month with these AMAZING Blog Hop/Link-Up party hostesses!