Ready to Forgive

“For thou, LORD, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” (Psalm 86:5)

         God is more willing to forgive than we are to be forgiven. Often, you and I are waiting to see if we really mean it, as though wallowing in guilt (self-pity?) is an indication of sincerity. On the contrary, sometimes it can be a play for a claim to “mitigating circumstances.” If we are sorry enough for our sin to be willing to give it up, we should never hesitate to ask our Heavenly Father to forgive us.

         Think of this: He forgave our sins when we were not yet His children; so it would only stand to reason He would be more inclined to forgive us now that we are related by blood? That’s the operative word here—Blood. As the old saying goes, “Blood is thicker than water”; and when that blood is sinless, it is even more binding. Second Timothy 2:13 tells us, “He cannot deny himself,” and for God to deny me, He would have to deny His Son, because Jesus and I are real, honest-to-goodness “Blood-brothers!”

         When I read this verse in Psalm 86, I can’t help thinking of the prodigal son’s father in Luke fifteen. I see Him patiently waiting and watching, while I am still “a great way off,” then running to embrace me in His great arms of love. As the verse says, He is good, He is plenteous in mercy…and He is ready to forgive.

         Are you ready to be forgiven?