Author: Kristen Kansiewicz, LMHC

“The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads. The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it. When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness.”

You know those people who are just super nice? You aren’t sure how they do it, they just seem to have an extra measure of kindness to those around them. You might find them helping an old lady carry her groceries across the street or rescuing a kitten from a burning building. God’s like that. He helps us with our heavy loads. When we fall down, he picks us up. He gives us food and satisfies our spiritual hunger too.

If God is so filled with kindness, why is there suffering in the world? I see plenty of people crushed under the weight of heavy emotional burdens. Where is God then? These are questions many people ask, and they are fair questions we should ask. These verses contain some pretty bold claims about God. There are no easy answers, but I think we need to understand the big picture of both the Bible and the global reality. The Bible describes a pretty significant spiritual war raging, and we are caught in the middle of it. God is on the rescuing side. Every time. And he’s in the process of winning the war.

Here’s your freedom for today: God wants to help you. What’s on your mind today? What is troubling your heart? What are your burdens that are weighing you down for yet another 24 hour period? Sadness, grief, loss, pain, anxiety, trauma… these are just some of the reasons we can either turn away from God or turn to him. If we blame him, we do not understand who he is or what he is doing. If we run to him, we will find the claims of Scripture to be true beyond our comprehension. God wants to help you. But you have to let him take it in order to experience that freedom he offers. Imagine you are carrying a heavy suitcase and someone comes along and rips it out of your hands in order to get it across the street for you. You probably would not like that. If someone offers to help and you say, “No, I’m all set” then again, you will not be helped. Maybe let God help today, and see what happens. He won’t force his way in and he won’t steal your suitcase. He’s just ready to be kind to you.

“The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.”

We’re just going to soak in this little half-verse today. I would encourage you to memorize it, saying it over and over to yourself throughout the day. The words that strike me most are “always” and “all.” Just pause for a moment and think about how big those words are. There is no room for negotiation in “always” and “all.” Every time. Without fail. It is the faithfulness of God on display.

If God always keeps his promises and is gracious in all he does, then we don’t have to wonder if God will come through for us. (We talked about God’s promises when we covered Psalm 91, including a link to a list of God’s promises throughout the Bible. Check it out here.)  God is gracious to you. Anything else that is happening in your life isn’t him. He is good. He is faithful. And Satan wants you to believe the exact opposite.

Here’s your freedom for today: God remembers you. He sees you. He knows you. And he has promises that he has given to you and to his church that he intends to keep. He is gracious and merciful, full of love. He forgives you. Right now, no matter what. You have a start-over moment. A healing moment. Whatever you need, God sees and he is right there with you. Receive his comfort today, no matter what you may be going through. He’s working it out for you.

“The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.”

The Bible is God’s revelation about himself. The words we have in Old and New Testaments were specifically written to help us get to know who God really is. The person of Jesus was God in human form — another revelation of the character of God. These verses are so different from the view of God as angry or punishing, that they make me step back and pause. Where do I get my ideas of who God is? Does the Bible contradict itself, sometimes saying that God is striking whole nations dead while in other verses like these claiming to be merciful and good?

These verses do not say that God does not get angry. They say he is slow to get angry. When you read the Old Testament, take a look at how long God gives people before his wrath shows up. Generations. He gives generations time to repent and turn to him. He is in the process of doing that right now. He has not rescued us yet because he is merciful, compassionate and good. His restraint is for a purpose: to give us as much time as possible to turn to him.

Here’s your freedom for today: God’s mercy and compassion are for you. It doesn’t matter what you have done or how close or far you’ve been to God. If you are still breathing there is still time to come to him. He is good. He has mercy and compassion for you. He loves you. Even if you have known him a long time, let that really sink in today. You don’t have to be “good enough.” There are no rule-driven systems in God’s kingdom. God gave us his Spirit so we are able to think like him and experience the freedom of living how we were made to live. In his mercy, God never gave up on that plan.