A name of God: “merciful and gracious”
In the Bible, God is not content with being “God.” He tells of himself, he introduces himself, he gives names that describe him. This quest invites you to look for a name that God gives himself in Scripture, to read the passage where it appears, and to pray from it. To begin, here is one of the most beautiful: Exodus 34:6-7.
What it looks like in your day
God reveals himself to Moses on Mount Sinai, after the people made themselves an idol in the shape of a calf. Moses has gone up to receive new tablets. God passes before him and proclaims his name:
“And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”
This declaration is taken up dozens of times in the Bible. To meditate on it, proceed in three steps:
- Underline the words that describe God. Merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in goodness and faithfulness, forgiving.
- Choose one. The one that speaks to you today: “slow to anger,” for example.
- Pray from that name. “Lord, you are slow to anger. Thank you for not losing patience with me. Help me be patient with my son.”
You can also look for other names God gives himself, for example “the Lord will provide” (Genesis 22:14, when Abraham receives a ram in place of Isaac) or “the Lord is peace” (Judges 6:24, when Gideon builds an altar).
If you are short on time, retain one word from the passage and say it to God. If you are a beginner, don't try to understand all of the story: focus on the declaration. If you are shy, this text is a fine starting point for a silent prayer.
What the Bible says
This passage is an identity card of God: gracious, slow to anger, abounding in goodness and faithfulness. It comes back almost word for word in several books. Psalm 86 takes it up:
“But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.”
King David uses it to pray: he reminds God who he is, as you remind a friend of their character. The prophet Jonah also uses it, in a far less pleasant way: he tells God that he fled precisely because he knew that God is a “gracious God” and would forgive Nineveh (Jonah 4:2). This God is so generous that his prophet is indignant about it.
The believers of Nehemiah's time return to it too, to confess the people's faults (Nehemiah 9:17): they lean on God's character to ask forgiveness. A name of God is therefore an anchor: in fault, in fear, in doubt, you hold on to what he is.
Pitfalls to avoid
Reducing God to a single trait. The same passage also says that God will by no means clear the guilty. Don't retain only the gentleness: God is both merciful and just.
Using a name as a slogan. A name of God is not a magic formula. It is a way into a relationship. Let it work in you.
Looking for exotic names. You don't need to know Hebrew. The names and descriptions given in your Bible are enough.
Forgetting the revelation in Jesus. For Christians, the greatest name of God is the one Jesus made known: Father. Read the Old Testament names in the light of him.
Settling for theory. Knowing a name means living it. After your meditation, ask yourself: where do I need this trait of God today?
Today, read Exodus 34:6-7. Choose one word, and pray from it.