Nehemiah 9:16-17
Hardened their necks,
And did not heed Your commandments.
And they were not mindful of Your wonders
That You did among them.
But they hardened their necks,
And in their rebellion
They appointed ha leader
To return to their bondage.
But You are God,
Ready to pardon,
Gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger,
Abundant in kindness,
And did not forsake them.
Of all God's attributes, his mercy and forgiveness are possibly the hardest for me to understand. Perhaps it is because we as humans are so quick to get offended and so slow to forgive. We harbor grudges over the silliest things. We all know what it is like to see close friends become bitter enemies over something so petty and fleeting as money and material possessions. How quickly we forget that the richest blessings are the relationships we have with family and friends. Yes, because we are so trivial with our own forgiveness, we might tend to think that God is as well.
The above passage is part of a prayer of re-dedication from the book of Nehemiah. It was prayed over the people by their leadership as an act of consecration to Jehovah during Nehemiah's reconsecration of Jerusalem. As part of the prayer, the leaders remind God of his mercy and kindness. They recall the time when their fathers sinned against God and Moses by creating a golden calf in the desert. They remind God that he forgave them because it is in his nature to forgive. They plead for God's forgiveness in their day, confident that God will do no the same for them that he did for their forefathers. Why? Because he is a God of mercy. Kindness is a part of who he is. He can not help but to be kind. It is Who He Is.
All humanity was originally created in the image of God. Because of sin, we are not in the perfect state we were before the fall. There are, however, still things about our nature that are like God. We are happy at times and sad at others. We become frustrated and we get angry. But of all these things, I believe we are the most like God when we choose to forgive. Forgiveness is not only a virtue, it is a fruit of the Spirit of God. ( See Galatians chapter 5). Yes, we are most like God when we are quick to forgive and let things go.
No only do we need to forgive others, we must also forgive ourselves. I have heard people repeatedly ask God to forgive things that he had long forgotten. How do I know he has forgotten? Because the prophet Micah said that he would cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. He is so full of love to us. We can not possibly understand just how deep his love and mercy goes. If you are having problems forgiving someone, ask God to help you see that person through his eyes. You will see how much he loves them and know that you must do the same. Are you having problems forgiving yourself? Ask God to help you see yourself as he sees you. You will probably be surprised at what you find out. He doesn't look at us as we see ourselves but he loves us with an unending love.
God's love is faithful. If you need forgiveness, God has not changed. All you have to do is ask. He is abundant in kindness and will not forsake you. Don't give up on yourself. God hasn't and he never will.
Thankfully,
Sullivan Jones