Hesed!

Ex.34:6 “And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth”

Please read Ex.33:12-23 and Ex.34:1-6. It is the story about Moses’ exchange with God. Moses asked God to show him His glory and God put Moses in a rock and passed before him. As the Lord passed by, He proclaimed His own Names, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth”. When someone is introducing himself, he tells you what he wants you to know about him. God wants you to know He is Hesed. He is the God from whom you have a right to expect nothing and He gives you everything.

Bartimaeus cried out, “Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me!” What Bartimaeus was saying was, ‘Jesus, the One from whom I have a right to expect nothing, give me all I need. And because I have a right to expect something, give me all I need.’ Huge! Covenant is based on rights while mercy is based on discretion. Bartimaeus placed a demand on both covenant and mercy and he got the two working for him. I pray in the Name of Jesus that both will work for you; the rights that you have in His covenant and the discretion that exists in His Person.

In fact, the Yorubas call God, “Oniyonu julo” and that means the One that melts His heart the most. It is like when someone’s heart melts towards you. But ‘Oniyonu julo’ means the One whose heart melts towards you the most. I hope you can understand this. I think the person that translated the hymn, Holy, Holy Holy, Lord God Almighty, knew what Hesed meant. My question to you today is, what have you done that is making you run away from God? God is saying to you, “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). What is it that you have done that makes you see yourself as an outcast? God is beckoning on you to come to Him, He wants to show you that His mercy has no equal. 

The first reward of relentless calling is God’s heart revealed. The second reward we experience and see is, we hear His voice. You will hear His voice. Mark 10:51 (KJV) “And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” (emphasis added). God will answer you in the Name of Jesus. Ps.29:4 “The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.” You will hear that powerful and majestic voice of the Lord in the Mighty Name of Jesus. 

Prayer (song): Draw me close to you, never let me go. I lay it all down again to hear You say that I’m Your friend. You are my desire, no one else will do…  You’re all I want… Amen!