Who is a God like you? Who forgives sin and pardons the rebellion of those who remain among his people? Who does not stay angry forever, but delights in showing loyal love?
Into the Text
We are forgetful people. We can walk into a room and forget what we came to get. We forget a person’s name after they told us two minutes before. Part of this is because we’re so busy that we forget to focus. The biggest reason we forget is because we’re selfish. We spend our days thinking about our wants and needs and how we can build up our kingdoms. We forget who God is.
This is what happened to the people of Judah. They forgot who God is, so they turned toward serving themselves, building up their nation, and serving other gods. What did this leave them with? Brokenness and shame.
It can be easy for us to read about the people of Israel and Judah and criticize them. We can think, “How could you turn your back on God? Haven’t you seen how much He has done for you?” But if we stop and think about it, we are just like them. We make life all about us and forget who God is.
Micah 7:18 is a great verse to help us reorient our hearts. It reminds us of the character of God. He is unlike anyone or anything else in this world. He is merciful, gracious, loving, compassionate, and patient. The list could go on. When we meditate on the character of God, it helps us to turn our focus off our own selves and onto the One who is all and sustains all.
May our first instinct be to dwell on who God is, and may these truths settle on our hearts so that we might not forget.
Prayer
God, you are good, loving, patient, and sovereign. I can easily forget this and make life all about me. When I do this, Holy Spirit, help me to orient my heart back to focusing on God. Amen.