Scripture

Micah 7:18-19 (NIV)

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgressions of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.

You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Consider

There is a striking truth in the above passage: God delights to show mercy. The Israelites had rejected and offended God with their wicked ways, yet God was glad to forgive the very ones who had betrayed his friendship.

What about us? Are we glad to forgive and eager to show mercy when we’ve been hurt or betrayed? What should our response be if we are to follow God’s example?

The passage gives us three practical hints for forgiving like God:

You do not stay angry forever. Micah tells us that God was angry. God is slow to anger, and when he does get angry, it doesn’t last forever. For us, anger is a natural, defensive response when our safety or trust have been violated. Anger that lingers too long, however, puts down roots and keeps us from moving forward.

You will again have compassion on us. Anger and compassion cannot occupy the same space in our hearts. To feel compassion literally means to feel passion along with another person, to enter sympathetically into their sorrow or pain. God recovered his sympathy for the people he loved and chose to replace his anger with understanding. Compassion moves us from an adversarial stance to one of coming alongside the person who hurt us.

You tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depth of the sea. God chose to dismiss the offenses that grieved him. He cast them far away, out of sight and remembrance. Ruminating on our grievances stirs up resentment and our need to punish; refusing to dwell on them makes room for gracious alternatives.

The key to forgiving like God is found in his very nature. Our God loves; in fact, our God is Love. Love motivates God to give up anger and make room for compassion, to set aside grievances and choose mercy over condemnation. Rather than punish, God wants to help, to heal and restore those whom he loves. Likewise, when we allow ourselves to love the person who injured us, we can risk feeling compassion instead of anger and consider ways we can help. To forgive becomes our privilege and our sincere delight.

Pray

Heavenly Father, give me love like yours so I can forgive like you, not grudgingly or mechanically, but with authentic joy. Unlike your love, mine is irritable and self-centered. I love best when I’m getting what I want, but you love because it is deep in the fabric of your nature—you cannot do otherwise. Bring me to that same gracious state, where I can love in relationships that are easy or difficult, whether I benefit or I suffer, because you have woven your love deep into the fabric of my nature.

Reflect

Psalm 145:8-9; 1 Corinthians 13:4-5; Ephesians 4:26

Ponder

How does keeping a list of grievances benefit me? What would change if I decided to cast them out of sight and remembrance?