Knowing the Presence of God in the PsalmsSýnishorn

Passing By

“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

Psalm 145:8–9 (NIV84)

These words of the Psalmist are a direct reference to a moment in the life of Moses, who had lived 500 years earlier. Moses had walked up Mt. Sinai to meet with the Lord when this happens: “And he [the Lord] passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin…Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped.” (Exodus 34:6-8 NIV84).

What a moment this must have been! Take a moment and step into the story. Imagine walking along, and the Lord passes in front of you. Your heart skips a beat. You can hardly process this magnificent moment. Your eyes, ears, and brain are strained to the max to grasp the moment. The hairs on your arm stand on end. A shiver runs down your spine.

And then He speaks.

What He says saturates your soul and sinks deep into your heart. His words put you at peace. The sudden shock suddenly dissipates, and you feel safe. You recognize you have been granted the highest of privileges, and you must bow in reverence. As He passes, you hear Him proclaim who He is and His heart for his people. As Moses did, you fall on your knees and bow in worship.

The four characteristics of God’s personality revealed to Moses, graciousness, compassion, slow to anger, and rich in love, were music to his ears. They had endured 400 years of enslavement in Egypt. Every moment in Egypt was full of abuse and hardship. There was no compassion or grace. All they knew for 400 years was a taskmaster who they could never satisfy. The Lord was sharing everything He was that the Egyptians were not. The Lord was saying, “I will be to you what no one else has ever been to you. My Kingdom is the exact opposite of the kingdom you have endured.” I can only imagine how the words of the Lord must have washed through the soul and heart of Moses, leaving him strengthened, encouraged, and in awe.

This experience of Moses is mentioned several times throughout the Old Testament. It is not surprising that David, the author of this Psalm, mentions it. It was well-known by the Hebrew people.

It would take time for the people of Israel to become accustomed to a God who was gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love, and to experience the goodness of the Lord.

The human soul desperately needs every ounce of these divine attributes and choices of the Lord. Far too often, we experience moments in our journey that lack grace, compassion, and love. Far too often, we experience anger, wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Our reality reveals the undeniable evidence of our great need for the Lord to saturate our souls with His presence. We need Him to pass by us often.

As Moses decided to walk up Mt. Sinai to meet the Lord, we must take a similar walk. We must choose to do what he decided. The Lord told Moses, “Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain” (Exodus 34:2). Moses decided to do just that. He got up in the morning. He walked to meet the Lord.

Do you have a time and a place where you present yourself to the Lord? Have you carved out of your busy schedule a time and a place for the Lord to pass by you? I hope you do. If not, I encourage you to do so. You might find yourself in a privileged moment that will cause you to bow in worship because of the nearness of the Lord to your soul. As you present yourself to the Lord, begin by reading Psalm 145: 8 – 9. Then pray asking the Lord to do the following:

“Lord, pass by me today with your grace. Grace for me. And your grace in me that I might extend your grace to others.”

“Lord, pass by me today with your compassion. Compassion for me. And your compassion in me that I might extend your compassion to others.”

“Lord, pass by me today. Be patient and not angry with me. Help me move towards you and your ways each day. Help me be an extension of your patience and strengthen me to be slow in any expression of anger towards others.”

“Lord, pass by me today with the richness of your love. Love for me. And your love in me that I might love others as you love them.”

“Lord, pass by me today and help me recognize your goodness towards me. Help me to experience the richness in the truth that you are my Creator and love me more than I can know.”

As we experience the Lord’s presence passing by our hearts and souls, I believe we will say the same as the Psalmist said in the last verse of this Psalm, “My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.”