“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering,
and abundant in goodness and truth.”
(Exodus 34:6)
One of the greatest errors Christians make is to forget that God is not like us.
When we sit in traffic, we grow impatient. After a long day, we’re exhausted. When grief strikes, hope feels far away. But God is without limitation. His mercy does not expire. His strength does not waver. His love is never diminished. In the midst of our frailty, it is a balm to the soul to remember the God who never changes, never falters, and never ceases to do good to His people.
His love, for instance, is described as “everlasting” in Jeremiah 31:3. It is not tied to our behavior, our strength, or our consistency. If we belong to Him, He loves us; and He never stops loving us.
His mercy is constant. Lamentations reminds us that “it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22–23). In Psalm 136, we’re told twenty-six times that “His mercy endureth forever.” The repetition isn’t exaggeration—it’s emphasis. God never runs out of mercy.
His grace is sufficient. In the midst of painful affliction, Paul received this word from God: “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Corinthians 12:9). That promise was not just for him, but for all who trust in Christ. No burden is heavier than the supply of grace God gives to bear it.
And He does not simply make these gifts available—He brings them to us. Psalm 23:6 literally reads, “Surely goodness and mercy shall pursue me all the days of my life.” God, in His infinite kindness, pursues His children with grace, mercy, and love. He delights to do good to those who are His.
This is the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture. He is not remote nor reluctant. He is not a dispassionate observer. He is the God who draws near, who delights in steadfast love, justice, and righteousness (Jeremiah 9:24), and who floods our lives with mercy, even when we are unaware.
Have you taken time to consider His beauty, to adore His character, and to worship Him for who He is and not just for what He gives? The heart that truly sees God’s goodness will overflow with praise.
Let us say with the psalmist, “One thing have I desired of the Lord… to behold the beauty of the Lord” (Psalm 27:4). The Lord is good. His love is steadfast and His mercy is unrelenting.
Adoring God, whose wisdome, bountie bright,
Doth shine so fair in this dark cloudy night:
Infer, confer, when thou com’st out to see
These mysteries clear, what shall that glory be?[1]
Contemplations:
- Love That Cannot Be Broken. I struggle to believe that God’s love is truly unconditional, but Scripture declares that nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38–39). Though it’s hard for me to imagine, His love is not dependent on my performance, but it is steadfast because He is unchanging. I want to rest in that love more fully.
- Daily Mercy for Every Need. I wake with fears, burdens, and uncertainties—but God’s mercy meets me each morning. “His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22–23). I want to greet each day with praise for His mercy that never runs dry.
- Beauty in Sanctification. God hates sin and pities sinners. So in His goodness He not only forgives, He also transforms. “And we all… are changed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Because He molds me into the likeness of Christ, I want to reflect His beauty in the way I live every day.
- He Knows What Is Best. I don’t always understand what He allows, but I trust that He works all things for my good. “Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes” (Psalm 119:68). Even in trials, He is doing what is best, which is why I want to worship Him not only in times of ease but also in affliction.
Prayer
[Adoration to the God of Mercy]
O Lord my God, full of mercy and grace, abounding in steadfast love, I lift my heart in adoration. “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). You are not like me. You are patient when I am short-tempered, faithful when I am fickle, gracious when I am undeserving. You never change. You never cease to love. You never tire of doing good to those who fear You.
You are the fountain of all beauty, the source of every good gift. When I look to the world, I see shadows of Your glory—sunsets, stars, flowers, laughter. But when I look to You in Your Word, I see the substance. I see the God who loves with an everlasting love, who gives mercy that is new each morning, who bestows grace that is sufficient for every burden. I adore You, Lord, not only for what You have done, but for who You are.
What mercy, what patience, what kindness You display each day! You pursue me with goodness. You hem me in behind and before. You never sleep, never grow weary, never turn away. You rejoice to do good to Your children. You delight in steadfast love, justice, and righteousness. You are not reluctant to forgive, nor slow to show mercy. I bow before You, Lord, in awe of Your unrelenting goodness.
Who is a God like You who pardons iniquity? Who casts our sins into the depths of the sea? Who promises not only pardon but sanctification, not only mercy but adoption, not only grace but glory? You are worthy, O Lord. Worthy of every breath, every thought, every song, and every moment.
O Spirit of God, lift my eyes higher. Let me behold more of Your beauty. Let me be transformed by the sight of You. Tune the strings of my heart to sing Your praise. Let my adoration be as constant as Your mercy, and my praise as enduring as Your grace.
You, O Lord, are my portion forever. You are the beauty my soul craves, the joy my heart longs to see. And when I stand before You one day in glory, may my first word and my last be the same: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. The whole earth is full of His glory!”
In the name of Jesus Christ, the brightness of Your glory and the express image of Your person, I worship You. Amen.
Further References for Exodus 34:6
Numbers 6:25; 2 Samuel 12:22; 2 Kings 13:23; Job 33:24; Psalm 77:9
[1] John Fullartoun, The Turtle-Dove, (Edinburgh: Andrew Anderson .., 1664), 105.
