The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. – Nahum 1:3
The Message. The Prophet Nahum – God’s mercy. This scripture is regarding the sayings to Nineveh and God’s anger against her. However, we can look at the words of this verse and see a message for us today.
The scripture reads that God is slow to anger. This small part of this scripture speaks of the mercy and patience of God. We often confuse God’s patience with a lack of power. The enemy fools us into believing that because God hasn’t moved against our sinful behavior he is some how powerless over our situations, and our sins. Or the enemy makes us believe our sin has gone unnoticed by God and we have somehow fooled him by our deeds. Yet, we are reminded that even though he is slow to anger his is also great in power.
God shows not only his mercy upon those that trust him, but he is extending his mercy even to the unsaved. Think about this. Even as one goes about their day continuing in unrighteousness, they are functioning within the mercy of God. It is God’s mercy that the unrighteous are able to continue, but it is all done so that God can draw them to himself.
Even though God is slow to anger, he will not allow the deeds of the unrighteous to go on continually unchecked. God is a loving God and he seeks that all would turn to him, but if we refuse to heed in the time he has given to us, we will have to stand before him for the unrighteousness of our deeds.
If you find yourself in a storm, caught up in the whirlwind, just maybe it is God saying to you, “today is the day I am calling for you to yield”. Did you know that if God calls you to accountability while you yet live, he is still showing you mercy? He is calling you to accountability NOW because he doesn’t want you to perish. He will correct you now, so that you have the chance to change and right your relationship with him.
Today I pray and ask that we all pray for those that have turned from God’s calling. There are people you know that have been living on the mercy of God, yet are refusing to obey him. He has been extending his mercy, but by his great power he will correct. So today, let us pray that when God calls to those that are disobedient, they will hear. And then let us pray for ourselves that there be nothing hidden in our hearts that would make us disobedient to God. Let us pray that we would always yield to the will of God. God is calling, are you listening?
