Posted by 90 Days of Prayer Day Forty-Six
Psalm 103:8
“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”
Too many believers think of God as a strict disciplinarian who remembers when they fail to please Him. All too often they relegate grace to the New Covenant, and miss this most gracious loving God of Abraham, Moses, and David. God is love, always has been and always will be!
The fact is; God’s love for you forgives and empowers you to be pleasing to Him. God is gracious and zealous in His love for you! Listen to what He tells Moses about Himself;
“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 34:6-7).
The Lord is Compassionate and gracious to You
David discovered that God doesn’t withhold compassion, He IS compassionate! God doesn’t just dispense grace, He IS gracious! If you are in Christ, you have already found favor with God. If you’ll count how many times you’ve been blessed, you’ll see that He abounds in love and faithfulness toward you!
God is not Easily Angered With You
David and Moses found God Slow to anger. Yes, God gets angry, thankfully His graciousness delays it where we’re concerned. His love for you causes Him to wait; giving you space to come to your senses… He’d rather show you mercy. Paul reminded Timothy to follow God’s lead in dealing with people’s bad behavior; “Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25-26).
God is Abounding in Love for You
“Abounding in love” can be accurately translated “abounding in steadfast love.” Abounding means “much,” “very many,” or “too numerous.” David’s describing a life that is not only experiencing God’s love, but, is absolutely overflowing with it!
Consider God’s empowering grace when your putting off of those sins that can so easily cause you to stumble. Believe Psalm 145:8-9 which says “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.”
You were made to be loved by God. Think deeply about His passionate love for you. If you keep in mind that He is not easily angered with you, but very patient, and most gracious, you’ll Be Encouraged. -JSP