October 2, 2025 Devo

Years ago, I had a good friend who was an attorney that I used to play racquetball with and have lunch with from time to time. One day over lunch, we got talking about how attorneys are viewed by the general public. Of course, the common joke is that they are all cold-hearted ambulance chasers. But he began to tell me about how he had recently met with a woman seeking a divorce. Instead of saying, “Let’s see how much we can milk your husband for,” he began to talk to her about the possibility of marital counseling with the goal of reconciliation. He said, “You know, attorneys are supposed to be ‘counselors,’ not home wreckers.” His compassion for people would be startling for many if they found out he was a lawyer. It wouldn’t be what they would expect.
I think the same would be true for many people if they discovered the true heart and nature of God. Many people grow up with an image of an angry God. They see God as someone who can’t wait to punish them. Others see God as an absent God. If He is “out there,” He’s certainly nowhere “around here.” They don’t believe that God really sees, or if He does, that He doesn’t care. Others, I think, see God as a controlling God. He's a God who will accept them if they jump through all the right hoops or check all the right boxes. For them, God is like the perfectionist parent who only gives a nod to things done right but is quick to point out any flaw or failure.
So what is God REALLY like? Let’s take another look at our verse for today. “The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.” Pretty different from our distorted images of God, isn’t it? “Compassionate.” That reminds us that God feels with us and for us. He CARES about us. “Merciful.” God doesn’t hold grudges. When we confess, He FORGIVES. “Slow to get angry.” God is PATIENT. He understands that growing is often “failing forward.” And God is “filled with unfailing love.” He loves us more than we even love ourselves.
THIS is the kind of God we want to come to. THIS is the kind of God that we want to live for. THIS is the kind of God that we can bring our burdens to, confess our sins to, and pour out our hearts to. I don’t know what kind of image you’ve had in the past, but today I invite you to trade it in for a fresh view of who God is. Before you start your day, and before you close your eyes tonight, say this verse again. “The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.” That’s God’s Word for you today.