A compassionate and gracious God

“But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86:15
The Bible tells us over and over about God’s love, His compassion, and His patience. We find these attributes in both the Old and New Testaments – there isn’t a God of the Old Testament who is full of judgement and wrath, and a God of the New Testament who is full of love and compassion. It’s the same God, operating in different circumstances. Yes, we see a lot more of His patience today, because we are living in the age of grace. In the Old Testament, people came to ‘the point of no return’, spiritually, a lot sooner in their lives. Today it takes longer – but some people can still get there (for instance, committing the unpardonable sin, of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit). It is still possible today for people to incur the wrath of God, although it takes a lot to make Him angry. Things that make God angry are stubbornness and resistance, a refusal to believe in spite of the evidence. We see this with Jesus and the Pharisees (Mark 3:5). But if we are seeking the Lord, following after Him – imperfect as that act of following might be – He won’t give up on us. We all slip and fall sometimes, some of us more than others. But if we are repentant about it, God will show us compassion and forgive our sins (1 John 1:9). What a mighty God we serve – not just in terms of His power and majesty, but also in terms of His grace, love, and patience.