Blown away

I’m wondering: did you catch that verse on Sunday?  The one from Exodus 33:19? 

And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

It blows me away that, when the Lord uses just one sentence to explain the display of his glory that he is about to reveal to his servant Moses, he says “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.”   If that were to have been written by an image consultant or an ad man or a televangelist, I’m sure it would have sounded much different.  Instead, God gets right to the heart of his purpose in election: to demonstrate that there are no constraints – whatsoever – on Him.  We make real choices, to be sure, but they are only made possible by his.

Previously, I have avoided this clear picture of God’s sovereignty in salvation because I thought it made God seem unfair.   Paul anticipated that, and shows that’s a mistake!  Instead, I want to respond to this precious quality in God the way Paul does, as an undeserving but grateful “vessel of mercy” to whom he has made known “the riches of his glory.” 

God bless, vessel of his mercy!

-Pastor Dale