October 8th

What Nothing Tells Us About God

And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation. Exodus 34:6-7

What is the most important thing to know about God? God helps us answer this question in something He says to Moses in one of the most radical experiences any human has ever had.

Now listen. There were a lot of things that Moses already knew about God. He had seen the power of God displayed incredibly throughout those ten plagues that hit Pharaoh and Egypt. But there was something more that Moses wanted than just the display of the power of God.

And God comes down and He meets him there, and He does reveal to him His glory, at least a glimpse of it, but even more and even deeper, He reveals His very heart, saying, This is what you need to know about me as you step forth into this venture of faith that will last the next thirty-eight years. You need to know I'm a merciful God. You need to know that I am a gracious God. You need to know that I am longsuffering.

When you and I come under God's leadership and Lordship, these attributes that God revealed to Moses become the attributes that He reveals to us, for they are the very attributes of love in First Corinthians 13. They are also the very attributes of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. And we know that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

So if God is showing Himself through these attributes to one guy named Moses on Mount Sinai, you can be assured that those attributes have not changed and they are the same for you in the midst of your mountain or valley or fiery furnace.

God is merciful. God is gracious. God is patient. God is abounding in goodness and truth. God is faithful, keeping mercy for thousands. God is faithful, and He is forgiving.

You know what all this says to me? What's most important to know about God is that nothing can keep us from Him if we will just repent and go to Him. Don't let anything keep you from His presence in your life today. Come now, no matter what you've done or has been done to you, and He will take care of it.

Prayer Lord God,

Thank You that what You want me to know about You is that You're big enough to handle anything in my life! I really need Your help, so I come to You today and ask you to forgive me, to set me free from my past into the fullness of all You have for me.

Amen