MICAH 7:19 – He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

THEME OF THE DAY. AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. As we start today’s nugget, let’s not just read today’s scripture, but do some work “chewing it over.” Quickly identify the three key actions of God toward us. First, we see His compassion on us – He will again have compassion on us. Then, His action of suppressing our sins – He will tread our iniquities underfoot. In this truth, the power of God is put forth in our lives dealing with our greatest need. The third work of God is that of a “fishing trip”, but not the kind we would attend. He doesn’t “cast” out and then reel it back it. In this action of God, He is casting our sins into the depth of the seas, and in the words of Corrie Ten Boom, “God takes our sins – the past, present, and future, and dumps them in the sea and puts up a sign that says NO FISHING ALLOWED.”

But there is something else about today’s scripture that makes for “great chewing” or meditating upon. Don’t miss it. It is only one word, but oh what a word. It is a word that makes the heart soar with praise. It is a word that deepens one’s love for God. It is a word that empowers us to go on with the Lord when we fail Him for the umpteenth time. It is a word that gives us hope when the devil and our conscience want to drag us into the pit of discouragement. It is a word that so characterizes the patience, love, and goodness of our God to His sheep who are prone to wander from His shepherding care. It is the third word in today’s scripture – again. Personally, I think it just might be the most important word in this scripture. Allow me to prove my point. Read the verse without the word “again” in its context – He will have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Loses some of its “spiritual punch”, doesn’t it? Compare this with probably the most familiar of verses in the Bible – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). What makes this verse jump out with power and intensity? The word “so”. God doesn’t just love. He so loves. Now do the same thing as we did with Micah 7:19 omitting the little word “so” – For God loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. It, too, loses its “punch” when the word “so” is removed.

Now back to the “again” of God in today’s scripture. The reason why “again” is so important to us is because we constantly need the “again” of God’s compassion, His trampling down our sins, and His casting our sins far away in the deepest of seas. And we always get the “again” from our Lord when we come with sincere confession and repentance. He never tires of restoring His returning child. He never refuses restoration of the backsliding believer. He again and again and again gives us the grace of forgiveness, the grace of reconciliation, and holds none of our failings against it.

So, when the voices of accusation tell us there is no more grace because we have failed too many times, silence them with the word “again” as we remember God’s never ending mercy and love that is given to us, again and again and again.

PRAYER: “Father, help me to build godly habits today that will sustain when troubled days come.”

QUOTE: “Without strong spiritual disciplines developed today, we won’t endure tomorrow’s troubles.”