“…for I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest Thee of the evil.” Jonah 4:2
Dear Ones:
Perhaps one of the greatest aspects of the revelation of God in the Scriptures, has to do with man’s total incapacity to realize WHO He is, and how different He is from sinful man. What is meant by such a statement? It is one thing to be absolutely overwhelmed by the love of God, a love so incomprehensible and impossible for man to replicate; it is quite another for man to realize just how deep and fathomless is God’s mercy, who delights to come to the aid, help, and salvation, of the neediest of us all. Specifically, with regard to revival, and God’s desire to work it in us, we have a very small idea. We have a tendency to always relate the work, desire, and will of God, to ourselves, our concepts and ideas, rather than to look honestly into the Scriptures to SEE Jesus Christ in the Old and New Testaments. It is there, by the revelation of the Spirit, that we discover a Heart that is so very unlike our own. It is perfect in the expression of its love, righteousness, and judgment. It is also perfect in its desire and willingness, not only to save, but to revive, restore, and renew.
If ever there was a passage of Scripture that reveals to us God’s desire, and willingness, to respond to the cry of the heart of the individual, but also, of a nation, it is Psalm 107. At the conclusion of this Psalm, the Psalmist writes: “Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the LOVINGKINDNESS of the Lord.” (v.43) What are “these things” of which he writes? They speak of a wilderness experience, being lost, without food and being thirsty…”their soul fainteth within them.” (v.5) It is when these believers CRY unto the Lord that He hears them, and delivers them. The Psalmist goes on to speak of the rebellion of the people against God, and His word. It is when they reap what they sow that they “…cried unto the Lord in their trouble.” What was the response of God? “He saved them out of their distresses.” (v.13) Over and over again we find where the people either neglected God and His ways, or deliberately rebelled against Him. Over and over again, we also find where their actions led them, often to suffering and death. But in it all, God was waiting to BE gracious to them, waiting for them to call upon Him. The remarkable thing in all of these circumstances was that God responded to them, saving, restoring, reviving, renewing…giving them a new beginning. At least four times in the psalm, the Psalmist writes: “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His GOODNESS, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.” How can we begin to measure the “goodness” of God, except we see the lengths to which He unhesitatingly goes to seek and to save that which is lost, and bring restoration and blessing to the soul.
Jonah did not want the Ninevites to be saved, delivered from impending judgment. This was certainly because of the suffering that they had inflicted upon the people of Israel. Remarkably, in spite of this, Jonah was SURE that God would be merciful to them if they repented, because he wrote: “…for I knew that Thou art a gracious God.”
Samson was an individual whom we might have believed to be beyond the grace and mercy of God because of his sin. And yet, just before he died, when the opportunity came to inflict the greatest possible blow to his enemies, and those of Israel, God heard his cry. The victory at his death far exceeded all those prior to that time.
We have only to consider the lives of imperfect men and women, and the the history of Israel, to understand that God has not changed. He is the same today.
Dear Father, Open our eyes to see You as You truly are, waiting to be gracious to those who call upon Thee. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad