PSALM 86:5-7: “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.” (ESV)

OBSERVATION: How can God love me after that? Have you ever had these thoughts. Rest assured, the enemy of our souls will be the first one to agree with you when you do. He will whisper things in your ear like – “You are not worthy.”, “That was the last straw.”, “God can never use you again.”, “If people only knew, what would they think?” All of these are lies of the enemy and of our own insecurities. They rest fully upon our broken nature – and neglect the true Nature of God.

Many times we view God as an austere judge who is just waiting to catch us in an act of disobedience so that He can lower the boom. We may have grown up with a parent who acted like this, but we can never use the actions of another human to define the nature of God. David knew the guilt, shame, and brokenness of sin. Yet, he proclaims, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.”

John writes the same thing in his first epistle:

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John‬ ‭1:8-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

God knew our condition when he created us. He knew man would rebel. He knew He would have to send Jesus to die for our sins. Jesus, having paid the full penalty for our sin, stands now to offer full forgiveness and cleansing when we confess our sins. The enemy would try to convince us to “run away” from God. The Word of God, the Nature of God, and the Heart of God is calling us to “run toward” Him – so that we might be forgiven and cleansed. “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.”

When the Prodigal Son returned to his father he was convinced he was only worthy to be a slave in his father’s house. Yet, when the father saw him, the father ran to the son, embraced him, kissed him, forgave him, and restored him. This is the heart of the Heavenly Father. He loves you and I so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us. He did not give us this great gift for us to live a life bound by guilt and shame with our heads hanging down. He gave us this great gift so that we could run to Him for full forgiveness and cleansing, with our heads and hands lifted up toward Him! He is waiting to embrace us, forgive us, and restore us. He is waiting to give us His Grace to be forgiven and to overcome the power and penalty of sin!

None of us is worthy of this great gift. It is God’s Grace, through our Lord Jesus Christ, given freely to all who will call upon His name. So no matter where you find yourself at this moment, like David you can pray…

“Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.”

“For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.”

In Jesus Name!

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