Posted by Psalm 86:5
“You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.”
King David learned from years of experience, calling on the Lord with a sincere heart always brings an affirmative response from heaven. By this time he knows all too well that God is forgiving, ready to pardon, and most gracious to all who call to Him. Moses knew too, hearing it from God Himself when He said “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 34:6-7).
Is it really any wonder how David developed such a healthy mindset with which he could approach God and receive whatever he needed with confidence? David, like us, longed to be pleasing to God, he understood the dangers of sin and how it hinders intimacy. He longed for the deliverance that only God could provide. Even with all his shortcomings he still approached the Throne with confidence because he knew that God was forgiving and good to all who call on Him with a sincere heart.
Presumption is a Dangerous Assumption
Far too many people think of God as a strict disciplinarian who is quick to punish us when we sin or fail to please Him. This assumption keeps many trapped on the performance treadmill, trying to please God in their own strength. Others tend to misunderstand God’s grace, and see Him as so loving that He could not possibly allow any of us to suffer any consequences for the sins we commit. Because they assume that forgiveness is automatic, they feel that God overlooks their sins. Those sins are so often repeated they become a lifestyle as a result.
Both of these views of God are extreme and untrue. God does desire good for all people; in His goodness to all He has planned for people to be happy and enjoy life. The purpose of forgiveness and deliverance is to restore in us the image and likeness of God that sin has distorted. Sin is likened to a wide road of destruction sorrow and death to all aspects of life. Holiness on the other hand is the highway to happiness, success and blessing. The fast track to happiness is always holiness (see Isaiah 35:8-10).
Run The Race With Grace
The apostle Paul was able to say without any condemnation “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature…”(Romans 7:18). He knew that it was by grace and grace alone that Christ became his righteousness, holiness and redemption.
It was God’s mercy and grace (undeserved favor) from start to finish, that made him pleasing to God.
We’re reminded of this powerful truth from Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace (undeserved favor) you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” David understood this when he wrote “The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made” (Psalm 145:8-9).
God’s love for you and I moves Him to forgive and empower us by grace so we can be pleasing to Him. His passion for fellowship with us drives His hatred for sin, because sin hinders the intimacy of that fellowship. God is actually zealous in His love for us!
Approach His Throne With Confidence
So as you consider God’s all empowering grace and using it to put off of those sins that can so easily cause you to stumble; remind yourself that we can all “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Because grace is undeserved favor, God’s “throne of grace”is actually the throne of undeserved favor, where the undeserving go to receive all that they need without guilt or condemnation. Now that’s Grace!
So, be like King David and continually draw nearer to God in prayer, call on Him who’s been good to you. Think deeply of His passionate love for you, and His desire for you to be holy as He is holy. Be assured that He’s at work in you, Be confident in His love and forgiveness, Be comforted by His goodness, Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and Be Encouraged. – JSP