When You Struggle to Feel God's LoveSample

Patient Love (When Guilt Is Too Much)

Scripture:

“The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.’” (Exodus 34:6–7 ESV)

Yesterday we learned that in Bible times, faithfulness to a covenant was called hesed (steadfast love). Scripture’s story is witness to the fact that the only One with perfect hesed is God Himself.

But notice in today’s passage that God keeps “steadfast love” (hesed) for a thousand generations, in contrast to the three or four generations on which He visits iniquity.

God’s natural inclination to show love doesn’t rot with time; it has no expiration date. In contrast, God’s inclination to rain down judgment is not something He utterly delights in. He takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (Ezek. 33:11) and He “does not afflict from His heart” (Lam. 3:33; cf. Luke 19:41–44).

God’s heart is abounding, overflowing, spilling over with hesed—“ready to forgive” (Neh. 9:17) all who turn to Him in faith. Even this “visiting the iniquity” (Ex. 34:7) doesn’t mean God punishes kids for their parents’ sins (see Deut. 24:16), but rather God brings His just judgment on the patterns of evil He sees repeated from one generation to the next—but only after waiting patiently for their repentance, even up to four generations of their sustained rebellion. Truly, “love is patient” (1 Cor. 13:4).

God’s patient love doesn’t negate the urgency to turn from our sin and turn to Him “now,” “today” (2 Cor. 6:2; Heb. 3:15). Instead, His patient love removes any hesitation or hindrance to our returning to Him:

I would return, but my sin is too great.

This is the 1,000th time I committed this sin.

This particular sin was especially sinister.

I’m suffering under the natural consequences of my own foolishness.

I’ve made my bed. Guess I gotta lie in it.

No, no, no. Heaven rejoices at your repentance (Luke 15).

His patience is greater than generations, His anger slow to boil over, His arms ready to wrap you in lavish love.

Is it too good to be true that God could be this patient? Only if you refuse to believe, like Noah’s generation (see Gen. 6–8). But the better bet is to “Come and see” (John 1:46).

And because of His patience, the quicker the better.

Call to Action:

Here’s a writing prompt for you today: How does God’s patience encourage us to come back to Him quickly after we’ve sinned or strayed, rather than continuing to stay away?