Merciful and Forgiving

Usually, people give you one chance. Maybe two. If you mess up, it’s over. How many times has one error cost you a job? One argument ended a relationship? Usually, you get one chance. 

What if it worked that way with God? That would be terrifying, wouldn’t it? We’ve sinned so many times. If God gave us one chance, our relationship with God would have been over long ago.

But God isn’t like us. Over his long life as a prophet, Daniel watched God’s people sin against God over and over again. He even watched them be conquered, and he knew they deserved it. 

But Daniel knew that God wasn’t done with his people, because he knew who our God is: “The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him” (Daniel 9:9). Merciful and forgiving—that’s our God! In Daniel’s day, he graciously let the Israelites return to the land of Israel.

Our God is merciful and forgiving to us too. Even though we’ve rebelled against God again and again, he doesn’t cut us off. He doesn’t toss us to the side. He sent his Son Jesus to die for our sins and rise to give us new life with God. 

Whatever you’ve done, no matter how many times you’ve sinned, don’t lose hope. Turn to the Lord. Repent of your sins. Trust in Jesus’ salvation. Because “the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.”

Pastor Nathan