The God Who Saves
Daily Old Testament Reading: Psalm 116-118
Daily Focus Passage: Psalm 116
The Lord is the God who delivers and saves. In Psalm 116, the Psalmist speaks of the Lord's response to his cry for deliverance. The Lord heard the cry for mercy and responded by delivering the Psalmist from his plight. The Psalmist requests redemption from Sheol's chains and the ropes of death. Thus, his request becomes, "Lord, save me!" The Psalmist trust in theLord'ss act of deliverance because he trusts in the saving character of the Lord. These character traits continue to exist today and provide hope that God will save people from the chains of Sheol and the rope of death.
THE LORD IS GRACIOUS
When we consider the term "gracious," we indicate that someone is nice, kind, or pleasant. On the divine understanding, the term "gracious" alludes to showing divine grace. When the Psalmist characterizes the Lord as gracious, he reveals that the Lord extends grace (receiving what we do not deserve) to us as part of the redeeming process. His grace offers us the life we do not deserve, and this offer comes because of the gracious nature of the Lord. When we consider the gracious nature of the Lord, we must come to a place of celebration, praise, and thankfulness.
THE LORD IS RIGHTEOUS
Characterizing the Lord as righteous reveals the understanding that the Lord is morally right and virtuous. This understanding comes to fullness when we recognize that the Lord defines the very and what is right. Thus, since the Lord is righteous, he expects his followers to be righteous, judges humanity, and carries out genuine justice. When combined with God's grace, we can become covered in the righteousness of Christ and thus stand in righteousness before the righteous God. Correctly understanding God's righteousness leads us to the place of thankfulness.
THE LORD IS COMPASSIONATE
The Psalmist characterizes the Lord as compassionate. Compassion is the deep seeded concern for others because of your deep, passionate love for them. When the Lord receives the characterization of compassion, the Psalmist reveals how the Lord cares deeply for his creation and how he desires each person to respond to his offer of redemption. The compassion of the Lord fuels his act of mercy, which withholds the punishment we deserve. When we recognize the compassion of the Lord, we must respond with gratefulness and obedience.
The Psalmist continues to describe how these three characteristics of the Lord manifest themselves in speaking of the Lord as the Deliverer, Protector, and Sustainer. We must strive to understand how the character of the Lord provides the backdrop of the Lord's work in our lives. When we know God's grace, righteousness, and compassion, we must respond in faith. These characteristics reveal why God has worked through Christ to offer us salvation. How does the Lord's grace, righteousness, and compassion motivate you to celebrate him?
