Joni and Friends Daily Devotional
The Lord Longs to be Gracious
"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him... How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you."
Isaiah 30:18,19
We know that Jesus was full of tender compassion, but what comes to mind when you think of the God of the Old Testament? Fire and thunder on Mount Sinai? Curses and apocalypses? Rods of reproof and correction, weird visions and strange commands? Smoke and anger and the hurling of hail and lightning?
There's more to the picture. It was the God of Moses, the Holy One of Israel, the subject of Ezekiel's visions and Daniel's disasters, who forbade Israel to curse deaf people, trip the blind, deprive the poor, rob the fatherless, oppress the weak, or make widows objects of prey. He took pity on Hagar sobbing in the desert. He reached out to Hannah who wept so bitterly that she appeared drunk over disappointment for lack of children. He honored and dealt tenderly with Tamar, a victim of incest. He soothed the hurting heart of Naomi in her old age and loneliness.
The Father is tender beyond description. He not only makes His compassion known, He rises to offer His love and mercy. He not only chooses, but longs to be gracious to you. That is, He desires, yearns and even aches to show you the abundance of His care and compassion.
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If we do not cling to God through the worst life offers, we will misread Him entirely and grow to mistrust and even despise Him. "He is slow to anger and abounding in love. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. The Lord is compassionate and gracious..." (Psalm 103:8-10). In your praise today, remember that Jesus not only takes pity on the weak and hurting... the Father does too.
Father, I sometimes only associate tenderness and compassion with Your Son, rather than You. Forgive me for not remembering the many demonstrations of Your love throughout all of the Bible.
Blessings,
Joni and Friends
www.joniandfriends.org
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