Seeing God As He Is

[Christ4Ever]

So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He [is] gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. Joel 2:13

Many earthly fathers aren't exactly living pictures of graciousness and patience. There are exceptions, to be sure, but many fathers have the rules and punishment thing down with little focus on the fatherly compassion and the patience children need.

Your Father in heaven has mastered that balance perfectly. The Bible contains many accounts of God dealing harshly with people's sin. But in every such occasion, He persistently, patiently, and lovingly reached out to His people, calling them to repentance--back to Himself. And when they repented, He was right there, speaking words of love and comfort and restoring them to Himself.

This is a question of balance between the fear of God and the love of God. You may already understand God as a holy and righteous punisher of sin, and that He most certainly is. But you should temper that understanding of Him with the equally true picture of a heavenly Father who extends His compassion and patience to you.

Even if your earthly father lacked compassion and patience, you can still learn to relate to God as the loving, patient, compassionate heavenly Father He truly is.

Prayer: Lord, let me see You as You are: a holy righteous God but also my gracious, compassionate, loving heavenly Father.

 

[Bethlehemstar]

So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He [is] gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. Joel 2:13

Many earthly fathers aren't exactly living pictures of graciousness and patience. There are exceptions, to be sure, but many fathers have the rules and punishment thing down with little focus on the fatherly compassion and the patience children need.

Your Father in heaven has mastered that balance perfectly. The Bible contains many accounts of God dealing harshly with people's sin. But in every such occasion, He persistently, patiently, and lovingly reached out to His people, calling them to repentance--back to Himself. And when they repented, He was right there, speaking words of love and comfort and restoring them to Himself.

This is a question of balance between the fear of God and the love of God. You may already understand God as a holy and righteous punisher of sin, and that He most certainly is. But you should temper that understanding of Him with the equally true picture of a heavenly Father who extends His compassion and patience to you.

Even if your earthly father lacked compassion and patience, you can still learn to relate to God as the loving, patient, compassionate heavenly Father He truly is.

Prayer: Lord, let me see You as You are: a holy righteous God but also my gracious, compassionate, loving heavenly Father.

This is very true, I've been reading the Psalm 91 onwards, which speaks about God's protection for believers. I discovered it from Sid Roth 'who takes viewers on a spiritual quest explaining to them about the life of Jesus Christ and the effect of his miracles on real people.'

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.