God is Longsuffering

In Exodus 34:6  Moses ask God to show him His glory and this is what happened. "And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, 'The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgressions and sin.'

 Is it hard to love Someone who is merciful, gracious, longsuffering, abounding in goodness and truth and keeping mercy for thousands and forgiving our sins?  Is that hard to do?  It doesn't seem like it should be and yet how many don't really understand the character of God?  Seriously, how many do not  understand what He is really all about.  When I was young I had a step father that wasn't very nice to me and my picture of God was a frowning being that scared me.  I was probably in my 50's or older when I realized how awful my picture of Him was. I have never had that picture come up in my mind again except to relate the experience.  I finally understood that He is a very, very loving Father, which I never had, so it was hard for me to relate to anything else but severity.  I am now able to understand it far better and actually relate to Him totally differently.  It makes a difference how we see God, whether we will trust Him and love Him.

2 Peter 3:9  "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

2 Peter 3:15 "And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation."

God is so longsuffering that He is willing to be patient in making sure that we don't perish but come to repentance.  Also the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation.  We must not forget His wonderful longsuffering and patience.

Take Noah for example, He preached for 120 years that God was going to send a flood to destroy the world because of its wickedness.  His faith about it was so strong that He did as God commanded and built an ark to house the animals, and those that would believe on Him.  He patiently waited for them to repent for 120 years, is that longsuffering, I think it is.

1 Peter 3:20  "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."

It is my prayer that we will understand just how longsuffering and patient God is and have a beautiful picture in our minds of a loving, smiling face beaming down on us.  Wanting us to come to Him and be ready to accept His love and care for us.  Pray for a picture like that.  It is just what you need today
in this world of turmoil.  Grandma Joan