Hope Above the Tree Line

James, apostle and servant of Jesus, writes,

As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

We all stumble in many ways, but God is compassionate and merciful, and the end of our trials will prove that out.

David was a New Testament heart living in Old Testament times. In Psalm 145 he writes of the boundless mercy of God we find in Christ,

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. ²

This Scripture is a reference to God's revelation of his glory, of himself, to Moses recorded in Exodus 34,

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” ³

The astute observers among us will quickly notice that David leaves the second half of God's characteristics listed in Exodus 34 out of this psalm. He does the same in Psalm 103. Is he ignoring the just and holy nature of God? No, he is not. But he sees something buried deep in the heart of God and is speaking prophetically, as he does in several of the other psalms he wrote. He is laser-focusing on certain characteristics of God that he wants us to meditate on and find hope in.

Today in the United States, comfort is king, self is lord, and immediate gratification is expected. The pursuit of happiness is a protected right of our independence. But God's kingdom dynamic flows against that current. Trials are for our good, we consider others as more important than ourselves, and patience is God's character path for the mature and complete Christian life. Our call is to pursue God, not pleasure. So, as a good Father, God is faithful to bring forth the likeness of his Son in us through our trials.

We can find context for David's focus on God's mercy and compassion when he writes,

The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. ⁴

Here we find our directive as we pass through our quickly fading life and stumble through what seems like and endless series of trials. We are not to be conformed to the ways of this world. Our life is short, it will soon be over, so we walk circumspectly while we live, knowing that one day those of us in Christ will see in full glory the brightness of his compassion, grace, patience, love, and faithfulness.

Scripture References

¹ James 5:11

² Psalms 145:8

³ Exodus 34:6-7

⁴ Psalms 103:15-16