Has God Forgotten to Be Gracious? - Psalms 77:9

In Psalms chapter seventy-seven Asaph asked, “Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? does his promise fail for evermore?”, and in chapter seventy-seven and verse nine of Psalms Asaph asked, “Has God forgotten to be gracious?” where we read,

Has God forgotten to be gracious? has he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.

The verse begins, “Has God forgotten to be gracious?” Asaph began with the words, “has God forgotten” or “has the Divine judge, ruler and Supreme God ignored, withered, ceased and caused Himself to ignore, cease to care and made Himself to forget” “to be gracious” which means “to exist as pitiful, entreating and supplicating”? Asaph continued to ask whether Jehovah God ignored or caused Himself to forget to be pitiful and entreating.

The verse continues, “has he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.” Asaph added the words, “has he in anger” or “has he, Jehovah God, with wrath, ire and breathing with a passion that causes His nose to wrinkle” “shut up his tender mercies” which means “drawn together, stopped, taken out of the way his, Jehovah God's, womb and bowels of compassion”? “Selah” or “uplift, exalt and pause to meditate upon it.”Asaph questioned whether Jehovah God has stopped and taken out of the way His bowels of compassion, and anyone reading his words should pause to meditate upon this idea.

When we think through the words in this verse, we see how Asaph continued to question whether Jehovah God forgot to be pitiful to His people, and he wondered whether God in His wrath stopped providing His compassion to them. In other words, Asaph was insecure. Needless to say, neither of these things were true as God is always faithful to be “gracious” and to have “tender mercies” upon people when they receive His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”. God loves us, and He demonstrated His love when He sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. He invites everyone to believe and trust in Jesus, and when they do, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and assure us by His Holy Spirit that He is full of grace and mercy toward us.

Next time Asaph says, “This is my infirmity”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".