And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth...”
— Exodus 34:6
WHAT DO YOU believe God is like?
In the Hebrew language, God’s name is “Yahweh, Yahweh El.” The word Yahweh means the self-existent God. Some have also tranlated it “all-becoming.” That is, He is to you whatever your particular need might be. If you need strength, He is your strength. If you need salvation, He is your Savior. If you need healing, or righteousness, or peace, He becomes those things for you. Whatever man’s need might be, God is all-sufficient. So, God reveals Himself in His name.
But He goes on from there. God describes His nature as being merciful, or full of mercy. This means that God doesn’t give us what we deserve. He then says He is full of grace. Where mercy is a negative quality (not getting what you deserve), grace is a positive quality. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve—the goodness and the blessing of God.
God also declares that He is longsuffering and patient. And then He describes Himself as abounding in goodness and in truth.
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, WE SEE GOD’S FINAL REVELATION OF HIMSELF THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, SHOWING US THE FULL EXTENT OF GOD’S MERCY, PATIENCE, AND GRACE.
This is the God we serve; the God who is at work maturing and perfecting us—and making us into His own image.
Thank You, Father, for revealing the truth of Yourself to us. Help us to embrace the truth and surrender ourselves, that we may be like You.
Amen.