The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. Psalm 145 verses 8 and 9.

I have not abandoned you. I had decided to wait until the Digicel generator was turned off so the hum is not heard in the background. Alas, it is still going. The electricity isn’t stable enough to power the cell tower. But life must go on.

God hears us
Knowing that God is gracious is important in this very harsh world. So many things happen that disappoints us. Other situations we face make us feel alone forgotten and less than others. The things people say and do particularly if it is aimed at us make us feel bad. But God is gracious and merciful. God loves us no matter how inadequate we are or may seem to others.
Beryl has been particularly hard on us. The home sweet home lamps, the darkness in which we can do nothing. The inconvenience of lack of water or flooding from the leaks and the nonexistent roof. But God is with us. God is gracious and merciful. God steadfast loves abounds.

All through bible we see the sentiment of God’s graciousness and Gods steadfast love. Jonah after he went to Nineveh referred to it. In exodus, when God gave Moses the commandments, the same thing was said. Joel, and Nehemiah says the same thing. Jeremiah in Lamentations 3 repeats it. It is like a mantra or creed to many in the Old Testament. Psalm 86 and 103 says the same thing. It seems to be something we should hold onto. Knowing that God is gracious and merciful helps us understand that God never abandons us.

Hurricane Beryl has left many of us confused or out of sorts. Some of us no roof. Some us still have no electricity or water and it isn’t that we live in some deep rural area, but our locale has its own features which require special attention.

Even when there is no hurricane, we each have situations or nuances in our life that confuse us and cause us to doubt God’s presence with us. We question God sometimes to the point where we quarrel with God. We ask why me? what have I done to deserve this? But God answers “you have done nothing. Life happens. I love you always.” God says as verse 9 I am always showing compassion to you.
Many of us hold onto a vengeful angry and jealous God, because God is also described in that way throughout the bible. But ultimately that is not who God is. John tells us God is love. And since so many have experienced gods love and grace we too can say as the passage says God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. We have done nothing to earn Gods graciousness or favour. It’s not based on our performance or our good deeds. It is just who God is, gracious and loving. God is fully committed to God’s people. Verse 9 says Gods compassion.is over all God made. No one is exempt. Nothing is exempt from God’s love and compassion.
We may be feeling down today. Feeling the stress of post Beryl on top of everything else we have to deal with. Some of us have learnt to compromise, others to compartmentalize our troubles, and so are able to put on a brave face, still others choose not to accept the reality of their situation in order to live a relatively stress free life. But God wants us to come to God, to trust in God’s unfailing love. Verse 15 and 16 of the psalm says the eyes of all look to God and God gives them their food in due season. In other words God provides what we need when we need it. God never abandons us nor leaves us alone. Verse 16 says God opens gods hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing.

There is one requirement in all of this. Look to God always. He will never leave you or abandon you no matter the uncertainty or the difficulty. God walks with you. The Lord is gracious and merciful, abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.
We have heard this, we know this, we must now just trust God to do God’s work. God hears us and responds, As the strength of God pilots us. The power of God preserves us. The wisdom of God instructs us. The hand of God protects us. The way of God directs us. The shield of God defends us. The host of God guards us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world. Where God is, all is well. All will be well, all manner of things will be well.