January 4, 2026 -- Psalm 145:2,8 -- God is gracious and merciful. What does that mean?

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Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Psalm 145:2,8 ESV
 
Suppose someone asks you, “Who is God?” Then after a pause adds, “What is He like?” The writer of this Psalm, King David, is expressing his loving devotion, as he stated at the start of this psalm “I will extol you, my God and King”. He gives a beautiful response to those questions. In fact, his answer echoes words spoken by prophets in various places in the Bible. So, as he reflects on what others have said, he realizes their experience and knowledge of God has become his own intimate experience.
 
The LORD Himself revealed Who He is to Moses. The people of Israel, having newly been freed from 400 years of slavery in Egypt, were at the foot of Mount Sinai. Moses was up the mountain for forty days, receiving the 10 commandments, and the people, getting tired and restless, assuming something dreadful had happened to Moses, demanded the priest Aaron, make them new gods. He made them a golden calf. Hideous stuff. When Moses went down the mountain and saw the wickedness of the people, he was furious. God the rescuer of His people, offered Moses to destroy the lot of them, and start over with Moses himself. Moses refused. He prayed to God for the deliverance of the people. The point is, God took His people out of Egypt, now He would continue the work of taking Egypt out of the sinful heart of His people. They’d need to learn Who He Is, how patient and prepared to bring them fully to salvation. That is true for believers in every generation. Once saved from the clutches of the devil the devilry that still lingers in us must be extinguished.
 
Moses asked to see the LORD. He hid Moses in the cleft of a rock, and as He passed by, declared to Moses Who He Is. Those are the words David repeated here in our Psalm today.

  • He is gracious, meaning, He Who begins the work of salvation in His people will complete it. Salvation is His work in us, first, last, always.

  • He is merciful, which means He does not treat us as our sins deserve. Instead, He Who knows the worst about us, by His Spirit will reveal these sins so that exposed they can be removed from us and He applies His healing work of sanctification, that is, making His people holy by removing their sins.

 
Ah, dear fellow believer, when you join with the believers of past ages and generations and reflect on Who God really is and how patient He has been with others, you get a glorious sense of His work in your life. He doesn’t throw you away at the first sign of trouble. He doesn’t junk you at the nearest trash heap because of your life is too hard for Him to fix. No way. He Who is at work in you will complete the transformation He began in you. Hold on to Him. Think about Who He Is. Consider the many ways He has already shown you kindness and grace. As you reflect on these things

  • You will praise God with greater enthusiasm.

  • You will be motivated by His Spirit to dig deeper into the word.

  • You will more clearly see the mercy and the grace our Father has shown you through the work of Jesus, our Savior.

  • You will be able to give a testimony to anyone who asks you, “what is God like?”

My God and King, I will lift my voice in rapturous praise to You.
I will bless You all the more as I think about Your grace and mercy which have been lavishly poured out on your people in the past, and which You continue to splash so generously over every part of my own life. Spirit of the Living God, as I am instructed by the word and by my own life’s experience as to Who God Is, let my words and actions, my thoughts and motives declare the grace and mercy of God which are so constantly and so richly shown to me in Jesus Christ. Let my life shine out the light of Jesus for all to see. Let those people around me whose lives are a shipwreck, may they be drawn to the light of Jesus which shines out from me and may they then join me in truly knowing You, and then also join the generations of people who declare Your grace and mercy. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/TxC16duiHvQ?si=ao71Hz3C8GSc_ljq O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer
 

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