Nudging #86 - May 16, "Keep Seeking Him"
May 16, 2025
Keep Seeking Him
The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, "Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin." (Exodus 34:6–7, NLT)
Have you ever read something in the Bible that didn’t sit right? A friend of mine recently did. He’s sincerely seeking the Lord and told me he’s reading through the entire Bible for the first time. As we talked, I watched his face grow serious. He was reading the Word to be inspired—but instead, he ran into something that unsettled him—something that made him flinch.
“Why would God command the Israelites to destroy entire cities when they entered the Promised Land?” he asked. “Honestly, it feels... harsh.”
Maybe you’ve felt that too. You come across something in Scripture—or in life—that doesn’t line up with the God you thought you knew. And in those moments, it’s easy to define God by what you don’t understand. But that’s exactly when you need to keep seeking—and remember what He says about Himself.
When God introduced Himself to Moses, He didn’t lead with a title or a resume. He revealed His very nature: “The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.”
This wasn’t a passing comment. It was a defining declaration. He is mercy, love, and faithfulness. And that thread runs through the whole story of Scripture—proclaimed by the prophets, embodied in Jesus, and poured out on the cross.
The destruction of sin has never been arbitrary. It’s holy, just, necessary... and bloody. The same God who commanded judgment in Canaan bore that judgment on a cross at Calvary. He didn’t overlook evil—He confronted it, and then took it upon Himself.
The cross stands outside of time, and from it, God’s mercy flows forward into the future and backward into the past—even into the stories we still struggle to understand. His methods may vary—and sometimes confuse us—but His mission of love and mercy never changes.
Just ask Elijah.
In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah was exhausted and afraid, hiding in a cave. Then God said, “Go out and stand on the mountain, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Elijah braced himself. He knew the stories—the ways God had shown up before: in a whirlwind, an earthquake, and in the burning bush. So he waited. The wind howled, the earth shook, and the fire blazed.
But God was in none of it.
Then came a whisper. God hadn’t changed. He showed up in a way Elijah didn’t expect—not with spectacle, but with stillness. No matter the context, God’s character is the same. He’s still mercy, love, and compassion—and He’s still speaking and showing up in unexpected ways—even in hard things like a cruel Roman cross.
So if something in Scripture—or in life—makes you pause… or flinch… don’t walk away. Don’t define God by what you don’t yet understand. Trust what you can’t yet see. Remember who He says He is—compassionate, merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love.
And keep seeking Him.