Psalm 145:8-9

Thanks for sharing!

“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.