“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness (…)”
Exodus 34:6
Moses wants to see God’s glory. God agrees. He shows his glory by revealing his own Name. That name is not just “how God is called”, but it shows us the most important elements of God’s character. God’s Name reveals his identity.
The Lord calls himself “the compassionate and gracious God”. God’s compassion means that he takes pity on humans who are in trouble – physically or spiritually. Grace means that God is good to people when they do not deserve it.
If God would only be righteous, humanity would have been destroyed long ago. We have deserved God’s wrath instead of his love, and are deeply in trouble since sin entered the world. But God reveals himself completely different. His heart is full of love, like a parent who deeply loves his child (see Isaiah 49:15 or Psalm 103:13).
If we are filled with God’s grace and compassion, our hearts become compassionate towards others. Are you already transformed by God’s healing grace, and are your spreading compassion?