For His Own Sake

“You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had compassion on your fellow servant, as I had compassion on you?” Matthew 18:32-33

God is the same today as He was yesterday. In the Old Testament there are several accounts where God’s favored people were punished for their sins. God allowed their captivity or defeat, and even in modern times, the Jews were victims of the Holocaust. Is it because He wanted to bring them low? Is it because He did not want to forgive them? 

“For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation, brought low everywhere in the world this day because of our sins,” Azariah acknowledged when the Israelites became captives of the Babylonians. And he asked with a contrite and humble heart for God’s forgiveness for his people. This Lent we need to do the same. 

We are indeed brought low by this virus, that we cannot go about our regular busy lives. But we can look at this time, this Lenten season, with eyes of faith, and see the extraordinary gift God is giving us. We need to stay home. We have more time to pray, read the Bible and other books, be with family, clean and organize and find things to give away, indulge in our hobbies, connect with people, etc. 

God is calling us back to Him. We are His favorites as well, just like the Israelites. “The Lord disciplines those he loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son." (Hebrews 12:6) Let us look for the ways we have disappointed Him and ask forgiveness. Perhaps there is some unforgiveness in our heart we need to root out. Perhaps there is envy, or condemnation, or perhaps we like to gossip. We need to root it out and ask God’s mercy for our sins. And God is merciful and will blot out our transgressions FOR HIS OWN SAKE; and He will not remember our sins. (Isaiah 43:25)