BAT DOG

…I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God. Hosea 2:23 (NIV)

The other lady in my life has four legs, cropped ears, and a nubbed tail that’s perpetually trying to wag. Her name is Gracie. She’s a good dog. Every so often she will try something rebellious: like sitting on the forbidden chair. She knows she’s not allowed on there but we all know she spends all day there when we’re gone. Monday through Saturday she has her ongoing barking fit with the mail lady. And she’ll get us out of bed early in the morning hours not to go potty (which is what we thought she got us up for) but so she can sniff around outside and bark at a neighbor’s cat. But besides those small offenses, she’s a great dog.

When she does mess up, it always goes the same way: I’m angry, I scold her, I may give her a corrective poke (Dog Whisperer style) and I choose to send her to her bed while giving her the cold shoulder. Here’s the problem, I see her sad eyes, her nubbed tail wagging, her cropped ears that look an awfully lot like batman’s cowl, and my cold shoulder begins to thaw, then melt, and I’m boiling over with mercy for Gracie Lou (Yes we gave her a middle name), the bat-dog (it’s the pointed ears that gave her that nick-name).

In today’s verse, once again we see God’s mercies overflow His threatenings. God is rich in mercy and overflowing in love. He relents from sending calamity upon us. Don’t get me wrong, He is just. He is fair. But He desires a relationship with His people so much that He forgives and draws us near.

God wants to be near you. So draw near. He’s nothing like us. He forgives and chooses to forget.

Questions to consider:

What does God’s mercy mean to you?

Why do we sometimes find it hard to accept the mercy of God?

How do some take advantage of His mercies?

What is it about God that draws man to Him?