“And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy” (Exodus 33:19).
“And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness” (Jonah 4:2).
My sister Jennifer and I were fighting. We raced toward our mom. Bang! Jennifer reached the door first and slammed it shut, trying to keep me from tattling on her. At the same time, I grabbed the hinge, trying to keep the door open. I failed. Suddenly the top knuckle of my middle finger was hanging by a thread of skin.
It took several different doctors and a specialist to sew my finger back together. They told my parents that I would never have feeling in that finger again—if they were even able to save it.
But you know what? God is gracious (kind, good, and sympathetic), and He answers prayers. He answered my parents’ prayers. God not only allowed the doctors to reattach my finger and for it to stay attached, but He also gave me complete feeling in that finger!
Our God is so gracious and loving! He didn’t have to save my finger. My sin and my sister’s sin caused that terrible accident, but not only did our parents forgive us and show us love, God forgave us and healed me. He graciously tended the finger of a small child and graciously healed it when the doctors didn’t think it would heal well. Now today I can play the piano, sew, type, and feel everything that I touch. What a gracious and loving God we have!
God has been gracious, forgiving, and loving to me.
My response:
» How does God show His grace and love to me?
» When was the last time I thanked God for the kindness He’s shown me?