Friday: Praise for His Patience
Read: Psalm 103
SOAP: Psalm 103:8–10
The Lord is compassionate and merciful; he is patient and demonstrates great loyal love. He does not always accuse, and does not stay angry. He does not deal with us as our sins deserve; he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve.
Devotion:
As we end this week of Advent, let’s turn our attention back to praising God for who He is and what He has done for us. God is good, and He has given us the most amazing Gift in His Son, Jesus. Not only is He good, but today’s Psalm reminds us that God is incredibly patient with us.
Throughout the Bible we read stories of men and women of great faith, who were often distracted, disobedient, or delayed acting on the direction God gave them. But God never waivers from His plan, and He shows great patience toward His chosen people.
The psalmist recalls God’s great kindness, forgiveness, healing, deliverance, love, compassion, renewal, justice, faithfulness, mercy, and patience. God does not deal with us the way we deserve, but designed a plan of salvation that required sending His Son as the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus, the baby we celebrate at Christmas, came to take on the sins of the world—a promise God made and kept over thousands of years.
Praise God today for His patience in your life. Remember the times He waited for you, loved you, carried you, and kept His promises to you. This great gift of Jesus that we’re about to celebrate was sent for you, long before you would ever make the decision to accept Him as your Savior. What a beautiful gift!
Prayer:
God, thank You for being incredibly, unbelievably patient with me. Help me to pass that gift along to others this Christmas season instead of choosing frustration or impatience. May my life be a reflection of Your character to those around me. Amen.