Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! —Isaiah 30:18
God is slow to exercise his justice when that justice demands his people’s punishment. “Gracious and slow to anger” is a phrase repeatedly used to describe God in the Old Testament in relationship to his people. God longs to be gracious and bless his people. He extends the time for us to have opportunities to repent and turn to him. In Jesus, God even gave us his own Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins so we could have the opportunity to come home to him. Let’s hear the heart of God and respond by turning our lives and hearts to our Father in heaven, who loves us and longs for us to come home to him!