God’s Character
–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath you can begin to clear your mind.
- Breath in by saying or thinking “Grace”
- Breath out by saying or thinking “Mercy”
-continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.

I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.One generation shall laud your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
and I will declare your greatness.
They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.The Lord is gracious and merciful,
Psalm 145:1-8
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
On Mount Sinai “The Lord passed before him (Moses), and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). There was a time in my life I begun a search to understand God better. Through this search, I was lead to this passage in Exodus. When I read Psalm 145 I was struck by how similar verse 8 is to the Exodus passage. It reads. “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 145:8).
This verse comes after several verses that talk about worshiping God. The Psalmist uses words like extol, bless, praise, etc. to explain worship of God. Then comes the description God used when passing in front of Moses. The psalmist worshiped God because of the mercy and grace of the Lord!
When I am struggling with life, whatever part of life I find difficult at the time, I remind myself that God is loving and compassionate. That God is there with me in the midst of what is happening. This gives me a sense of awe. It gives me a heart that cries out to God in worship. The psalm, on the other hand, starts with the praise, and then give the reason for the praise, God’s character. There are times I can start with praise, and then remind myself of who God is. Other times I have to start with reminding myself of God’s character. Then come to worship and praise. It does not matter how we start to worship God. The important thing is God’s character of grace, mercy and slow to anger. These are characteristics that do not change.
- What keeps you going?
- What do you have to be thankful for?
- Why do you worship God?
-please take a moment to think about one of these questions. You might want to write your answers down.-
Tumwater Falls Rattlesnake Ledge Porter Falls
Take some deep breaths.
- Breath in: “Mercy”
- Breath out: “Grace”
God of grace and mercy, we praise you for being there with us, and for being slow to be angry when we make mistakes. Continue to show us your grace and mercy. Continue to forgive us when we fail. Amen.