What Kind of Father is God? Understanding Our Heavenly Father's Character

Why Does God Have Such Patience With Us?

God Has a Long Fuse

In Psalms 103:8, we read that "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love." This description actually comes from Moses' encounter with God on Mount Sinai, when the Israelites had turned to idol worship while Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments.

When Moses discovered the people worshipping a golden calf, God's anger burned against them. He was ready to destroy them all and start over with Moses. But Moses appealed to God's grace, and God withheld His righteous wrath.

While it can be frustrating when we're praying and waiting for God to move in our lives, His patience actually works in our favor. When we're not walking right, not going in the right direction, or not talking right, God puts up with a great deal before reaching a boiling point.

God exercises great patience because He's hoping we'll take advantage of His extension of grace - that we'll turn from sin, seek His forgiveness, and begin to obey Him.

Unfortunately, many of us mistake His patience to mean He's not really concerned with our disobedience, and we end up abusing His patience.

Does God Keep Track of Our Past Mistakes?

God Has a Short Memory

Psalms 103:9 tells us "He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever." Unlike the wife who brings up every past argument, God chooses to have a short memory when it comes to forgiven sins.

Psalm 130:3 asks, "O Lord, if you should mark our iniquities, who could stand before you?" We should be grateful that God doesn't stop forgiving after the second, third, fourth, or even fiftieth time we fall down and fail. He knows the weakness in our flesh.

Once we've sought His forgiveness, He doesn't keep accusing us of things from our past. There may be things we've done that aren't pretty and we're not proud of, but if we've asked God to forgive those things, He doesn't bring them back up. When those memories resurface, it's not God bringing them up - and we can be free from that condemnation.

God never harbors anger against us. His forgiveness doesn't keep accusing. He has a short memory when it comes to sins we've previously been forgiven for.

How Does God Respond to Our Daily Failures?

God Has Thick Skin

Verse 10 says "He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities." If God punished us every time we did something wrong, we would be in a perpetual state of receiving His retribution. Every time He turned around, He'd be chasing us for selfish attitudes, hurtful words, prideful spirits, or indifference toward others' needs.

But God has thick skin - the Bible calls this forbearance. As 1 Peter 4:8 says, "love covers a multitude of sins." Just as loving parents don't constantly ride their children about every little thing (which would drive them away), God doesn't let everything bother Him.

Sometimes when we see our children's messy rooms, we might think about our own messy garages or offices and realize we'd like to receive a little grace ourselves. God has shown us so much grace that we need to show others grace as well.

How Far Does God's Forgiveness Reach?

Complete Removal of Sin

Psalms 103:11-12 provides a beautiful picture: "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us."

The psalmist wisely chose east and west rather than north and south. If you head north, you'll eventually reach the North Pole and start heading south again. But if something keeps going east, it will never go west. Once God forgives our sin, it's gone forever - it will never come back to us.

When forgiven sins come up in our memory, we can say, "Thank you, Lord, that you threw that eastward. It's still heading east and not coming back."

Biblical Metaphors for God's Forgiveness

The Bible is full of metaphors describing what God does with our sin:

• Micah 7:19 says He treads our sin under His feet and throws it in the deepest part of the sea

• Isaiah 38 tells us God purposely puts our sins behind His back so He's not looking at them anymore

• Isaiah 44:22 says God sweeps our sins away like morning mist that the sun burns away

• Jeremiah 31:34 says God will absolutely refuse to remember our sins - He blocks them from His memory by choice

  
  

What Kind of Heart Does God Have?

God Has a Great Big Heart

While God doesn't always let us get away with sin (because sins have consequences), and He will correct and discipline us like any good parent, He always does so out of love. Psalms 103:13 says, "As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him."

God has a heart bigger than can be measured for those who are lost and living in sin today, for those who are unchurched. We need to get that same heart of God - a heart for the lost and hurting.

Life Application

Understanding God's character as our perfect Heavenly Father should transform how we relate to both God and others. This week, challenge yourself to extend the same grace to others that God has shown you. When someone disappoints you or makes a mistake, remember God's long fuse, short memory, thick skin, and big heart.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Am I holding grudges against people for past mistakes that I should forgive and forget?

• Do I have a quick temper with others while expecting patience from God for my own failures?

• Am I showing the same kind of grace to my family members, coworkers, and friends that God shows me daily?

• How can I develop a bigger heart for those who are struggling or far from God?

  
  

You may never have had an earthly father characterized with these traits, but your Heavenly Father wants you to know that you can be secure in His love. His forgiveness is complete, His patience is abundant, and His love for you is immeasurable.