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Isaiah 30: 18 (NIV)
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to
you; he rises to show you compassion.
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| His grace exceeds the largest dimensions known to man.* |
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Have you ever been snapped at – or bitten by – an injured
pet when you were trying to help him? You had only the best of intentions
toward the hurting animal but he was hurting too much to understand. Remember how you felt?
Other versions of today's verse say something along the lines
of “God is waiting to be gracious to you.” I picture him waiting patiently,
soothing us as much as we will allow, until we realize that he is there and
ready with the first aid. He longs to
tend our hurts. He “rises to show you compassion” – he gets up to come to our
side to comfort us. But just like an animal in pain, we reject his aid. A pet
reacts instinctively to attempts to tend to his wounds; what is our excuse?
God isn’t just waiting for us to allow him to heal our
hurts; he is also waiting for us to accept his offer of salvation. “He is
patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance.” (II Peter 3: 9) There is a strong sense of urgency here – we don’t
know how much longer he will wait. With God, a thousand years and a single day
are equal increments of time (II Peter 3: 8) so has he been patient with you
for a few days or for thousands of years?
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| For the present, the door is still open.* |
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