THE LORD IS
Psalms 145:8-9 NKJV
8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
9 The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.
Somewhere back in the vague memories of my childhood was a song called "Happiness Is." So, thanks to the internet, I was able to find the song from 196 by Ray Conniff. The theme was that happiness is different things to different people. I can't necessarily recommend the song, but when I read our verses for today, that song came back to my mind. Funny how a phrase can trigger a song and a memory.
Our verses for today discuss who the Lord is. David's perception of God was unique and way ahead of his time. To many during David's day, the Lord was someone to be afraid of. We know that fear or reverence for the Lord is appropriate, but people then feared a God who was out to take vengeance. But David had prophetic insight into the character of a vastly different God.
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. I believe that statement regarding God is still a facet of God's character that many miss. It has been in the last seventy years that people caught onto the idea of a good God. When Oral Roberts declared God is a good God and something good is going to happen to you, not everyone was thrilled with that revelation. Some believed that if God was presented as being too good, people would take Him for granted and feel more freedom to sin. And I am sure, in some cases, that is correct. But Oral Roberts did not come up with a new revelation of God. David said it hundreds of years before Christ. The Lord is gracious and is full of compassion.
The Lord is slow to anger and is great in mercy. Many of us can breathe a sigh of relief. We have needed a God who is not quick to flare up and is merciful toward us. And not just marginally merciful. Great in mercy. When I think of all God sees and puts up with in mankind. When I look back on some of the things I have done, I marvel at God's mercy. I have come to see more and more that God is much more merciful than people.
The Lord is good to all. The Lord's tender mercies are over all His works. I get that God is good to all. God is good to those who have mocked Him and denied His existence. If He wasn't good, they would not have a chance at turning from their ways. If God was quick to repay evil, so many would have ceased to be. But He is good. He is a good God. And I am not sure what tender mercies over all His works entails. But the NLT says, "He showers compassion on all His creation." I'll take that compassion shower any day!
APPLICATION
These two verses are great ones to memorize and speak about the Lord. Lord, You are gracious and full of compassion. These are great verses to remember when we have fallen short because believing God is good and full of compassion and merciful helps us go to Him when we stumble instead of hiding in shame.
David was right. Oral was right. God is a good God!