Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him.

                                                                                                                     Isaiah 30:18 

If only we understood. If only we could grasp with our minds and hearts the desire of God. Today’s passage tells us exactly what He desires to do in the life of anyone who will come to know Him by faith.

First, how do we take a passage from the Old Testament and apply it to our lives? Consider the following:

Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. 

                                                                                                               Galatians 3:6-9 

God blessed Abraham. He blessed the nation of Israel (Abraham’s offspring). Now, as Christians, we can claim the same blessings that God gave to Israel mentioned in the passage from Isaiah. Paul explains that those who are of faith in Christ are included in the same blessings. So God desires to do two specific things in our lives.

1. He desires to be gracious to us

The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

                                                                                                            Romans 5:20-21  

Regardless of our past, our sinful nature, and our failures, God desires to shed His grace on us. Paul reminds us that the Law does just the opposite. The Law demands. The Law condemns. The Law will never provide a way for us to be made right with God. In fact, the Law was given to demonstrate how sinful we actually are. When we consider the Law, we see the guilt of our sin increase. That’s right! The Law increases our sin before God. But where sin has increased, God’s grace abounded all the more.

This word “abounded” is actually a compound word meaning “to super abound.” It demonstrates that when it comes to comparing our sin to God’s grace, there is no comparison. Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross, grace can now reign! The righteousness that we all long for is given to us on the basis of faith (Romans 4:4-5, Galatians 3:6), just as is our salvation (John 3:16, Acts 16:30-31). So the grace of God “reigns through righteousness” and the final destination of that grace, applied to our lives, is eternal life with God in heaven. And all of this was accomplished on the cross and is available to “everyone who will call on the name of the Lord” (Romans 10:13).

2. He desires to be compassionate to us

The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

                                                                                                Lamentations 3:22-23 

God is love (1 John 4:8). God is patient and kind (characteristics of true love, 1 Corinthians 13:4). And what is truly remarkable about His love, patience, and kindness is that they “never cease.” And in addition to His love, patience, and kindness, is His compassion, and the compassion of God “never fails” (the same as love, 1 Corinthians 13:8).

Every morning that we wake up is an opportunity for us to worship the One who has given us life. Each new day brings a fresh start and a chance to experience God’s compassion. His faithfulness is consistent and something on which we can always rely. What a blessing it is to awake and spend some time with the Savior every morning. When we allow our minds to focus on the reality of God’s love, grace, and compassion, we are given spiritual strength through the power of the Spirit at work within us, renewing us daily (2 Corinthians 4:16).

So where do you stand in relation to the grace and compassion of God? Do you long to know Him more? Have you experienced the transforming power found in receiving His grace and compassion into your life? God is willing! He desires to show us grace and compassion! Call on Him today and ask Him to fill you with His Spirit so that you will know the depth of His grace and compassion in your life!