Psalm 86:5 – For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
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Sometimes the simplest truths of Christianity are the absolute best for us to remember. This verse, in the middle of the Old Testament, reminds us of so very much of God’s character. He is good. He is forgiving. He abounds in steadfast, covenant-keeping love toward all who seek him.
Think, just for a moment, if any one of those things was not true of God. If God were not good, we would have no understanding of good. Were God cruel, evil, capricious, or just plain mean, we would have absolutely no hope of anything. We could not trust in his promises. We could not find meaning in our suffering. We would be in utter despair.
Were God not forgiving, we would all be lost. God is holy and perfectly so. He is pure, righteous, and he must punish our sin. Were God not forgiving, it would be for you and me to pay the penalty for our sin before God. Since we have sinned, offering infinite offense before an infinitely holy God, we would have to suffer an infinite punishment for the punishment to match our crime. Were God not forgiving, we would all suffer an eternity in hell.
If God did not abound in love toward those who call on him, we would have no hope of being forgiven. God saves those who call upon him for salvation. God loves those he saves. Thus, we have hope for our eternity, because God abounds in steadfast love toward us if we have come to know him by calling on the name of Jesus, the one name in which we can find salvation.
Think of this verse the next time that you are suffering a hardship. Let it help you to focus your mind rightly as you evaluate your circumstances. No matter what you experience or what your friends tell you, these truths are sure: God is good, God is forgiving, and God abounds in love for those who call upon him.
Pastor Travis Peterson 