18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love. ~ Micah 7:18ESV
There are those who look at the Bible and say that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament can’t be the same God. They say the God of the Old Testament is a God of blood and war, while the God of the New Testament is a God of peace and love. But they look with veiled eyes. From before man ever sinned, God formed a plan for our redemption. Before the earth was formed and the heavens were stretched out, God was prepared to die for His creation.
There was a time before the Law when evil reigned freely; then, out of His mercy, God gave us the Law. The Law was a shadow of the good things to come, but He knew that the World wasn’t ready for those good things yet, so He only gave us a glimpse. Then 2000 years ago, at the perfect time, God got off of His Throne, set aside His Godliness, and took the form of a man to save the very people that were going to kill Him. God didn’t change; humanity did. We became more and more evil. We ran farther and farther away from Him. We dove deeper and deeper into darkness until our hearts grew so hard that God couldn’t even reach us.
God’s love for us is unlike anything we can ever understand or comprehend. When we look at God, we look at Him how we want to look at Him. Some see Him as an evil, malevolent dictator. Others as a white-bearded old man in the sky. Others see Him as a fairy tale for children. We’re blinded by our own perceptions and biases of who God is.
God is love. That doesn’t mean He won’t bring judgment or punishment. It means that He will do everything He can to redeem you from punishment, except take away your free will to accept it. If you want to know who God truly is, it all starts with seeking Him. Those who seek Him will find Him when they seek Him with all of their heart.
LORD God, please forgive me for looking at You through tainted eyes. Please erase the false narrative I have created for You and replace it with who You are. Show me Your love that I might in return love You, for we don’t love first, but we love because You first loved us. Help me to love You the way You deserve. Please guide me as I run the race You have set before me. Please help me to live my life for You so that others may see You in me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
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