My God is Merciful
Exodus 34:6-7
And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Notice, what is the first adjective that the Lord uses to describe himself? Merciful. Then in the next verse it is reiterated - "keeping mercy for thousands."
I remember the first time I noticed that mercy was said twice. I don't believe it is an accident. He wants us to know that he is merciful because we NEED to know he is merciful.
I remember praying to the Lord: thank you Lord that you are merciful because I need you to be merciful. I mess up, I fall short. I need to know that he is not giving up on me. He is still for me and with me and he is full of hope and faith for my life and the lives of others. I believe the Lord has more faith in us than we do for ourselves.
And if that is not assurance enough for us, he also says he is longsuffering. The New Living Translation uses the term slow to anger. Again, I need the Lord to be longsuffering in our relationship, or else there won't be much of a relationship to be had. I thank the Lord that he is merciful and longsuffering. It is a privilege to have a relationship with him as my merciful Lord and savior.
And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Notice, what is the first adjective that the Lord uses to describe himself? Merciful. Then in the next verse it is reiterated - "keeping mercy for thousands."
I remember the first time I noticed that mercy was said twice. I don't believe it is an accident. He wants us to know that he is merciful because we NEED to know he is merciful.
I remember praying to the Lord: thank you Lord that you are merciful because I need you to be merciful. I mess up, I fall short. I need to know that he is not giving up on me. He is still for me and with me and he is full of hope and faith for my life and the lives of others. I believe the Lord has more faith in us than we do for ourselves.
And if that is not assurance enough for us, he also says he is longsuffering. The New Living Translation uses the term slow to anger. Again, I need the Lord to be longsuffering in our relationship, or else there won't be much of a relationship to be had. I thank the Lord that he is merciful and longsuffering. It is a privilege to have a relationship with him as my merciful Lord and savior.
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