PSALM 18:35 – You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.

THEME OF THE DAY. OVERWHELMED BY HIS GENTLENESS. When a Christian ponders the height, width, depth and length of Christ’s love, there simply are not enough words to proclaim its meaning or an adequate range of emotions to express our experience (Ephesians 3:14-19). It is truly what the Apostle Paul states, “To know the love of Christ that passes knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19). We may extend this pondering to other glorious attributes of the Lord and the results will be the same sense of being overwhelmed. Let’s consider a few.

First, who has not been overwhelmed with gratitude for the Lord’s incredible patience with us? The Word reads, The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Psalm 145:8). Aren’t we so glad He is slow to anger? Think of all the times we have been disobedient, neglectful, and just lazy sheep in His pasture? Has the Lord written us off as “faithless and unusable”? Never. He meets us with tremendous patience, even in our many failings.

Then, remember those times of the Lord’s amazing grace granting us repentance and restoration when we are awakened to the spiritual apathy, even backslidings in our lives. Again from the Psalmist, we marvel over these qualities of the Lord found in not just His redemption, but His plentiful redemption – Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities (Psalm 130). By the way, let me encourage each of us to memorize Psalm 130. It will be a continual feast for our souls in our walks with the Lord, and especially when we find ourselves falling short of His glory and needing a restoring word of encouragement from Him.

There is still yet another place to go in pondering the character of our Lord leading to great adoration and worship. It is found in today’s scripture – His gentleness. Have we recently given time over to meditating on the gentle heart of the Lord Jesus toward us? The prophet Isaiah writes of His gentle handling of His people – A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice (Isaiah 42:3). Friends, all of us are bruised reeds and faintly burning wicks. Emotionally, we break easily. Spiritually, we are at times barely aflame. Physically, let the years pile on our bodies and we feel our brokenness. And how does Jesus handle us? Gently. Always. Remembering we are indeed bruised reeds and faintly burning wicks.

Our God is a glorious and wonderful God who is way beyond comprehension but not beyond knowing. Take time to know Him. Ponder His attributes. Be overwhelmed by His love and grace. And don’t forget His gentle handling of us through all the difficulties of life. Then learn to treat people – all people – as the Lord treats us; in love, by grace, and with gentleness in speech and actions.

PRAYER: “Lord, I so praise You for Your gentle handling of me that reveals Your patience and kindness.”

QUOTE: “A gentle heart puts forth tremendous power that is able to encourage and soothe the greatest pain.”