God Revealed

"Then the LORD came down in the cloud

and stood there with him and proclaimed his name,

the LORD.

And he passed in front of Moses,

proclaiming,

'The LORD, the LORD,

the compassionate and gracious God,

slow to anger,

abounding in love and faithfulness,

maintaining love to thousands,

and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.'"

Exodus 34:5-7a

She struggled with accepting God's love for her.  Whenever she heard that God was her Father, she thought of her own earthly father at whose hands she had suffered greatly.  The word "father" was tainted in her mind, closely associated with the man who had abused her in many unspeakable ways.  My friend had made God into the image of man.

It is easy to do this, not understanding God's true character.  Therefore, it may be difficult to worship Him, love Him or trust Him.  Other times I may give Him characteristics which are more pleasing to me and my agenda, making Him into something He's not.  

When God passed in front of Moses before He made the covenant with this leader of the Israelites, spending forty days writing the Ten Commandments upon the second set of stone tables, He revealed His true character.  Here is who God says He is and upon which I can base my faith.

Compassionate and Gracious

I deserve nothing more than death because of my sin. (Romans 6:23) This sin makes me God's enemy because the way I think, act, speak and conduct affairs is contrary to the way God created me to live. (Colossians 1:21)  Instead of giving me what I have earned, however, He shows compassion, caring deeply about me and giving me good things I don't deserve. (Psalm 130:3-4)

God best showed this spirit of grace and kindness for me when He sent His Son to take my place in death.  Instead of expecting me to carry out my own sentence earned by my rebellious nature, He gave His own precious Son to die in my stead, making life possible for me.  (Romans 5:8, 1 John 2:2)

Therefore, since the Lord is a God of compassion and grace, I can trust Him with my heart.  I need not be on guard before Him, saying only the things I think I should say.  Since He is concerned for my well-being and eager to give me good things, I can be myself before Him, letting Him explore the depths of my heart where darkness lies, knowing that He will be gentle and gracious to me.  He has a way of showing me what needs to be rooted out without condemning me for it, and He makes it easy for me to obey Him.

The Lord is a compassionate and gracious God.

Slow to Anger

School shootings, terrorism, corruption, government deadlock, national debt, disregard for life, contempt for God's law, scorn for traditional values; the list could go on and on.  I live in a world that is pushing the envelope, taunting God in ways that are appalling, yet God is not like me. His anger is slow to come.  Even though I see reasons all around me for Him to unleash His wrath and I see no reason for Him to wait, His ways are higher than mine. (Isaiah 55:8)

I learn in 2 Peter 3:8-9 that time means nothing to God.  He does not follow my timetable which is driven by my impatience to see action and results.  Instead, He is patient, desiring that each of His own image-bearers would come around to Him, turning from their sinful ways.  He does what it takes to draw people to Himself, giving each of us time to see the error of our ways. 

In fact, if God were not so slow to anger, I'd have no chance at life.  When I look around me and want God to send judgment upon this wicked world, I am forgetting my own sinful state.  If it weren't for His kindness, willingness to tolerate my stubborn willfulness and to wait as long as it takes, I'd be doomed as much as the wicked people in Noah's time.   While I like to think I'm better than they, God knows the truth:  I am a sinner to the core, selfish and hard-hearted.  

Since God gives me time to repent and receive the free gift of salvation He offers through Jesus Christ, so I must realize His character demands He do the same for others.  

The Lord is slow to anger, giving all of mankind time to come to repentance.

Abounding in Love and Faithfulness

Apart from God, I will never understand love.  The world defines love as something shallow, physical and based on lust.  God's love, however is deeper and more powerful.  His love is lavish and can never be lost. In fact, the only way I can love anyone at all is because He first loved me.  His love has the power to break down barriers, mend broken hearts, bind up wounds and make friends out of enemies. Love is so closely interwoven into God's character that He is considered to be the manifestation of love, and when I truly experience and comprehend His perfect love, all fear is gone.  (1 John 3:1, Romans 8:38-39,1 John 4:16-19)

If I am to live the life God created me to live, free from guilt, fear and doubt, I must realize how much I can count on Him.  I can make a list a mile long of the people who have let me down, hurt me and abandon me at my greatest hour of need.  It is easy, then, to assume God is the same way.  I may be tentative in my willingness to trust Him, generating a back-up plan "just in case."

God, however, is faithful to supply all my needs, giving me exactly what I require at just the right time.  In fact, He is the only one who knows the plan for my life and realizes the difference between my necessities and my desires. (Jeremiah 29:11, Matthew 6:32)  Therefore, I can trust Him with every part of my life. 

Instead of trying to orchestrate the details of my life, then, I can let God choose for me, giving Him full authority to guide me and use me as He sees fit.  He will never let me down and I will find that it is His love that propels me forward, giving me confidence to approach Him to receive all I need.    

The Lord is a God who is abounding in love and faithfulness.

Maintaining Love and Forgiving Wickedness

I live in a hard, cruel world that does not easily forgive.  People tend to remember my past, judging me based on what I've done before, not believing that God has begun a work within me and will continue transforming me until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6) Instead of giving me a chance, though, I am labeled as worthless and without hope.

It is easy to take on this same attitude as I come into contact with the callousness I find all around me.  When I lift my eyes to my Father, however, I see I different picture.  I find a landscape of love that never diminishes with time but continues to flow into my life regardless of my performance.  I also see that my worst sins are forgiven and I am given second, third and fourth chances. (1 John 1:9)

God never writes me off as hopeless.  Instead, He keeps lavishly loving me despite my unworthiness.  His mercies are new every morning, and each sunrise brings a new day of hope where He does new things He has never done before.  (Isaiah 43:18-19)  Therefore, I need not base my expectations on my past, but can always hope for the good that God has saved up for me this day.  

The Lord is a God who maintains His great love for me, freely offering forgiveness through Christ.

It is all too easy for me to base my idea of God on the humans around me.  God, however, has a character that is so much higher than anything He created.  Therefore, if I am to truly trust Him, I must realize His true nature.  He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness and preserves His love and forgiveness throughout all of time.  The Lord, as He revealed Himself, is a God who can be trusted.  The more I know about God, then, the easier it is for me to place my life into His hands.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can seek to know God a little more each day.

How am I afraid to trust God?

When would I rather take care of meeting my own needs instead of waiting on the Lord?