God is Compassionate and Gracious, Slow to Anger and Abounding in Love

This description of God shows up over and over again throughout the Bible. Psalm 103:8 says, "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love." In Joel 2:13, it says, "...Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity." And Psalm 86:15 says, "But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness." These are just a few of the references, and you can find even more below.

It's easy to read over these words, but have you ever really thought about what they mean and how they apply to God's character and to us? He is:

• Compassionate - Not only does the Lord see the struggles and pain we experience, but He desires to relieve them for us. He is not a distant God who doesn't care about His children. It causes Him pain when He sees us in pain, and it is His joy to help us and comfort us.

• Gracious - Psalm 103:12 says, "...as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." Even (and especially) when we fall short and mess up, His abundant goodness covers us beyond what even know we need.

• Slow to anger - When we make mistakes, He doesn't respond in anger and frustration, but instead, He responds with patience and kindness. When we fall down, He picks us up. He is kind when we are imperfect, and He patiently helps us to learn and grow. He never abandons us.

• Abounding in love - In Psalm 103:11, it says, "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear [worship, honor, adore] Him..." Just as we could never comprehend how high the heavens are above the earth, His unconditional, steadfast, and unwavering love for us is equally beyond our comprehension.

The best part about these descriptions of God's character is that they were often given when the Israelites were the most disobedient, worshipping other gods, ignoring the covenant and laws God had given them, and sinning against Him. It was then that the prophets and others would plead with the people to turn back to God, reminding them that He would receive them with open arms because He is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love for them.

When you make mistakes, do you believe God responds to you in anger, frustration, or disappointment, withdrawing His love from you? We can be tempted to believe this, especially if this is the response we received from our parents growing up. But our Heavenly Father doesn't respond that way. He welcomes us with open arms time and time again. He reminds us that we can mess up and make mistakes and be imperfect because He looks on us with compassion and care, He covers our mistakes with goodness and grace, He is patient and kind toward us, and His love for us is unfathomable and unfailing. If you're having a hard time believing it, ask Him to help you. He is waiting with open arms! ♥

Other References

Exodus 34:6 - And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness..."

Numbers 14:18 - The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion.

Psalm 86:5 - You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to You.

Nehemiah 9:31 - But in Your great mercy You did not put an end to them or abandon them, for You are a gracious and merciful God.

Definitions

Compassion: a sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compassion)

Gracious: pleasantly kind, benevolent, and courteous (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/gracious)

Grace: the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/grace)