SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 9
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon them, even when they made an idol shaped like a calf and said, ‘This is your god who brought you out of Egypt!’ They committed terrible blasphemies. [Nehemiah 9:17-18]
A person who follows Jesus is not better than others; rather they are painfully aware of all the ways they have hurt and offended their Lord.
This chapter is a period of reflection and repentance, where they do a thorough ‘house-cleaning’ of sorts, opening up the closet and bringing out the skeletons.
But they do this will the full awareness of God’s great mercy and forgiveness.
A God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry and rich in unfailing love.
Is this how you see God; is this how I see God?

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” [Luke 23:34-35]
Here we see God’s mercy and love in action; in the midst of mockery, disdain, rejection, Jesus expresses mercy for a people who do not realize what they are doing.
Somehow this is how I sense the Lord always sees us, as not knowing what we are doing.
Its not that He ignores our failures; He feels it all, it causes Him great pain.
Yet He is still the same God that the people in Nehemiah’s day prayed to: a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry and rich in unfailing love.
He sets us up for success, He promises and extends amazing blessings to us, He gives us all we need to know and do what is right and good, and all the help we need.
And He warns us when we are treading on dangerous ground; He sends people to get our attention, He allows us to taste the consequences in measured doses, so that we come to our senses.
And ultimately He comes Himself, as the Messiah, the Chosen One, to show and to open the way back to God.
Even then, when they reject Him, He still cries out, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing!

This is not just someone else’s story, this is my story.
My life is filled with so many examples where I do not really know what I am doing.
When I persist in going my own way, doing my own thing, and ignoring God’s loving help and direction.
As I look back on my life, I need to repent too; it helps me to go back through my journey to this point, to recall my story and God’s amazing mercy to me.
This kind of personal inventory is good, it humbles me and reminds me of God’s patience.
Today I am reminding myself of how little I know what I am doing, and yet how great God’s kindness and mercy is.
A God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry and rich in unfailing love.

PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for coming to me and helping me see the folly of my ways. As I review my story, one thing becomes abundantly clear: You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry and rich in unfailing love.