Grace as the Expression of God’s Character
Read Psalm 145:8
“The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.”
There are some things in scripture that I can ponder and wonder at and dig into, only to feel my eyes twitch and mind wander into what feels like no-mans-land. Then, there are some things that God is so clear with, to the point He will repeat it over and over so I can’t miss it. The clarity preempts all my questions and settles my tendency to overthink. God displays much of who He is by telling stories and stating plainly so that it’s crystal clear.
Psalm 145 encompasses a classic expression of praise for Yahweh’s character in verse eight. It actually occurs in seven other places in scripture—Exodus 34:6, Numbers 14:18, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 86:15, Psalm 103:8, Joel 2:13 and Jonah 4:2. David repeats this phrase in this psalm of praise to give a list of four key words in Hebrew that describe God’s motivating attitudes—“gracious,” “merciful,” “anger”, and “lovingkindness”. All four are packed with deep meaning. Beautiful examples of all four are found throughout scripture. David reflects here on God’s favor and divine enablement as His motivating attitude, how He gives to those who don’t deserve it. When one deserves His wrath, He gives mercy. When people continue in sin and give way to anger, He is patient.
By the grace of God we live, worshiping His incredible and immeasurable character, unwavering and unchanging. We sing praises of His mystery and all that He is. We’ll spend this life and our eternal life learning who God is fully. It is a lifelong search and a joy because with each discovery we find more to be praised. All the while He fully knows us. He is more familiar with who we are and our hearts than anyone could ever be, including ourselves. What a gift to trust the Almighty to help us know who we are and learn what His character teaches us of our Creator. By His grace we live, and He expresses that relentlessly to His children.
Some of His attributes belong only to Him— omnipotence, almighty, infinite, and sovereign are some. As His creation living in His grace, we can foster and grow in His character. We are to be holy as God is holy. We are to love as God has loved us. We can extend the grace that He has given us freely. We can be merciful even when we have a laundry list of what someone deserves. We can be slow to anger and fight our flesh’s reaction. We can be abundant in lovingkindness to those we encounter daily.
Psalm 145 encompasses a classic expression of praise for Yahweh’s character in verse eight. It actually occurs in seven other places in scripture—Exodus 34:6, Numbers 14:18, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 86:15, Psalm 103:8, Joel 2:13 and Jonah 4:2. David repeats this phrase in this psalm of praise to give a list of four key words in Hebrew that describe God’s motivating attitudes—“gracious,” “merciful,” “anger”, and “lovingkindness”. All four are packed with deep meaning. Beautiful examples of all four are found throughout scripture. David reflects here on God’s favor and divine enablement as His motivating attitude, how He gives to those who don’t deserve it. When one deserves His wrath, He gives mercy. When people continue in sin and give way to anger, He is patient.
By the grace of God we live, worshiping His incredible and immeasurable character, unwavering and unchanging. We sing praises of His mystery and all that He is. We’ll spend this life and our eternal life learning who God is fully. It is a lifelong search and a joy because with each discovery we find more to be praised. All the while He fully knows us. He is more familiar with who we are and our hearts than anyone could ever be, including ourselves. What a gift to trust the Almighty to help us know who we are and learn what His character teaches us of our Creator. By His grace we live, and He expresses that relentlessly to His children.
Some of His attributes belong only to Him— omnipotence, almighty, infinite, and sovereign are some. As His creation living in His grace, we can foster and grow in His character. We are to be holy as God is holy. We are to love as God has loved us. We can extend the grace that He has given us freely. We can be merciful even when we have a laundry list of what someone deserves. We can be slow to anger and fight our flesh’s reaction. We can be abundant in lovingkindness to those we encounter daily.
Reflection Questions:
- List off the character qualities of God you have witnessed in your life. Pray through each and ask God to help you see Him more today.
- Is there a part of you that doesn’t feel like you can trust God’s character is true? What lie could you be believing that His character doesn’t extend to you?
- Read Exodus 34:6, Numbers 14:18, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 86:15, Psalm 103:8, Joel 2:13 and Jonah 4:2. See what connects between these passages.
Posted in Free- by the Grace of God
No Comments