“…But You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them.” ~ Nehemiah 9:17
REFERENCE:
I knew the above verse early in my Christian walk. I understand that the virtues in the verse separate our God from other gods. If they claim to be ‘a God,’ weigh them by these virtues: are they quick to pardon, slow to anger, forgiving, and full of kindness? No god exhibits these virtues entirely and consistently, but the Lord God. Oh, what a good God He is!
Nehemiah chronicles all God did for Israel and highlights Israel’s ingratitude and response. God brought Israel out of many years of slavery, gave them a set of laws to guide them, made them a nation, fed them with manna in the wilderness, gave them water out of a rock, and gave them a land to possess and dwell in. Yet, they rebelled against Him and were proud.
What they did and who they were did not change who God is. Paul said, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” The fluctuations of men’s nature and character will not let God act contrary to His nature. Despite Israel’s rebellion and idolatry, He did not take His manifold witness from them. Still, He guided and protected them with a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night in the wilderness. He multiplied them and gave them great possessions and children.
If God went by what Israel did to Him in the wilderness: rebellion against constituted authority, calling a molded gold calf their God, complaining, and grumbling, Israel should not be a nation today; God should have wiped them off the map. In light of this, Nehemiah caught a revelation of God’s compassionate, kind, and forgiving nature. No wonder Lamentations 3:22 says, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.”
We serve a good God. Let that sink into your heart. He is ever ready to forgive and acquit us. He is not quick to strike when we err but gives us time to change. Unlike Israel, the response God wants from you is to draw closer to Him; He wants you to reverence and serve Him with a loyal heart, knowing that He loves you. Also, you never need to backslide or turn away from God because you sinned. Come to Him, He will abundantly pardon. Oh, what a good God is He.
PHOTO QUOTE
ADDITIONAL TEXTS:
Lamentations 3:22-24, II Timothy 2:11-13, and Isaiah 48:9
PRAYER:
+ O Lord, assure my heart today of Your unique abiding nature of faithfulness, loyal love, and unceasing mercy. May I rise in appreciation of who You are and rededicate my life to love, obey, and serve You. Forgive me for times that I took Your slowness to punish for granted. I repent of my sins and lay my life on Your altar as a living sacrifice. Use me for Your glory, in Jesus’ name.
