”For You, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, rich in faithful love to all who call on You.” (Psalm 86:5)
David was called “a man after God’s own heart.” In fact, God is One who described him with that designation. A related description is that David also understood God’s heart. He understood as no one else of his generation did.
The pantheon of so-called “gods” of David’s day that people worshiped were mean, ruthless, self-centered, demanding, and vengeful. People were in terror of them. They were gods that had to be appeased. Some folks saw the Lord as just another god of that same genre. But not David. He expresses the truth about who God really is: “For You, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, rich in faithful love to all who call on You.”
Sometimes we need to be reminded that the Lord is kind and ready to forgive. Certainly God hates sin, because it offends His holiness, but the grace nature of God impacts us with kindness, such that in spite of our sin He is ready to forgive when we come before Him in confession and repentance. When we do so, we discover that our God is, indeed, rich in faithful love.
Lord, We thank You for Your lovingkindness. We thank You for the freedom that comes with Your forgiveness. Amen.
