Exodus 34:6-7
“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.'”
Remember these seven qualities of God as you go through life.
Compassionate—His heart breaks for your situation. He understands what it’s like.
Gracious—He feels empathy for you and extends His help, even though, as a sinner, you don’t deserve it.
Slow to anger—It takes a lot to get God mad.
Love—He loves with a sacrificial love, not a feeling of love that can change overnight or a conditional love based on your behavior.
Faithfulness—He stays true to you and focused on you, never giving up.
Maintaining—God does what He can to keep your relationship with Him running smoothly.
Forgiving—God forgives your sin, and you can know you are forgiven when you just ask.
This verse reveals the core character of God—who He is at His very essence. Seven powerful qualities of God you can trust in. Why would you ever stray from or deny a God like this?
These aren’t just nice attributes God sometimes displays. This is God’s self-revelation to Moses—His own declaration of who He is. When God introduces Himself, this is what He wants you to know about Him. This is the God you’re dealing with.
Notice what’s NOT on this list: harsh, judgmental, unpredictable, vengeful, conditional, distant, or withholding. The God who reveals Himself here is the opposite of what our fears and guilt tell us He might be.
Each quality builds on the others. He’s compassionate (understanding your situation) AND gracious (extending help you don’t deserve) AND slow to anger (not quick to punish) AND abounding in love (sacrificial, not fickle) AND faithful (never giving up) AND maintaining (working to keep the relationship smooth) AND forgiving (ready to forgive when you ask). All seven work together to show you a God who is relentlessly, extravagantly for you.
When you’re struggling with your situation, remember God is compassionate. His heart breaks for what you’re going through. He’s not distant or uncaring—He understands what it’s like because He sees you and feels for you.
When you feel unworthy or undeserving, remember God is gracious. He extends help even though you don’t deserve it. That’s the very definition of grace. Stop trying to earn what He freely gives.
When you’re afraid God is angry with you, remember He’s slow to anger. It takes a lot to get God mad. Stop living in fear of His wrath. His default posture toward you is love, not anger.
When you doubt whether God really loves you, remember His love is sacrificial and unconditional. It’s not a feeling that changes overnight based on your performance. He loved you enough to sacrifice His Son—that kind of love doesn’t evaporate when you mess up.
When you feel like giving up on God, remember He’s faithful and never gives up on you. He stays focused on you, does what He can to maintain the relationship, and forgives your sin when you just ask. Why would you stray from a God like this?
Lord, thank You for revealing who You truly are. Thank You for these seven qualities that define Your character: You are compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love, faithful, maintaining, and forgiving. This is who You are at Your very essence.
Help me to remember these qualities as I go through life. When I’m struggling, remind me that Your heart breaks for my situation and You understand what it’s like. When I feel unworthy, remind me that You’re gracious and extend help even though I don’t deserve it. When I’m afraid of Your anger, remind me that You’re slow to anger—it takes a lot to get You mad.
Let me trust in Your sacrificial, unconditional love that doesn’t change overnight or depend on my behavior. Thank You for Your faithfulness that never gives up on me. Thank You for doing what You can to keep our relationship running smoothly. Thank You for forgiving my sin when I just ask.
Why would I ever stray from or deny a God like You? You are everything I need. Help me to trust these seven qualities and live in the freedom of knowing who You really are. In Jesus’ name, Amen.