At Gateway Austin, we continued our new series “Hello, My Name Is….”
Your view of God shapes everything—how you pray, how you lead, how you suffer, how you love. What we believe about God will determine the kind of world we imagine we’re living in.
But what if our view of God is all wrong?
When Moses asked to see God’s glory, God did not first display raw power. He proclaimed His name and revealed His character: compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin – yet not leaving the guilty unpunished.
This six-week journey shows what we can learn about God from His interaction with kings, poets, prophets, and people just like you and me. When we know who God really is, we can know Him more and make Him known.
Digging Deeper:
Message Video from Gateway South Austin:
Message Audio from Gateway South Austin:
Message Notes:
In this series we are looking at the name of God and how He reveals His character to us.
Many of us may have a skewed version of God based on where we grew up or what we’ve heard about Him in our culture. Our hope is that you see the goodness and greatness of God in a fresh and life-changing way over these next several weeks as we look at moments in the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures, where God reveals Himself to people like Moses, David, Nehemiah, Jonah and others.
You may have thought that the God of the Old Testament is angry. The God revealed in Jesus is kind and loving. The true story is so much better and bigger than that!
Last week, we looked at the origins of when God revealed His name to Moses at the burning bush. Exodus 3 says:
13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” – Exodus 3:13-14
As Carlos pointed out, that word YHWH which is translated as “Lord” in English can mean “I am who I am” or “I will be who I will be.” Yahweh speaks of the God who simply is – the God whose existence depends on nothing outside himself, the God who is faithful to himself, the God who is not controlled by circumstances, human approval, or human failure.
God shares more to Moses in Exodus 34 where the passage tells us:
“God 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. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished…’” – Exodus 34:6–7
Throughout the rest of the Scriptures we see people quoting this passage. People relate to God through this idea of who He really is.
And today we are looking at how God reveals Himself to be compassionate and gracious.
Think about that for a minute.
Yahweh means the Lord, the Creator of all things, the One through whom all things and all creation exists! The all powerful God who was and is and always will be starts with how he feels towards His creation and that includes you. He is compassionate. He is gracious.
So what do those words mean?
Let’s learn more about this idea through another well known Bible character named King David. We know a lot about what happened to David through the books of 1&2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and 1 Chronicles, but we know what he was thinking and feeling and about his understanding of God in midst of life’s challenges through the Psalms, the prayers he wrote to God.
So who was David?
King David was a shepherd who became the greatest king of Israel. David was overlooked by his father when Samuel came to anoint a king to replace Saul. Once anointed to be the next king of Israel, he demonstrated his faith in God and his ability to defeat his enemies on the battlefield by defeating Goliath. Later he faced attacks from Saul, the king of Israel, not a king from another tribe!. Even still he trusted God and His timing. Rather than seeking to kill Saul which he had the opportunity to do, he waited until God opened the door to become King. David never lost a military battle. He united the twelve tribes, made Jerusalem the capital, and wrote many Psalms. Despite major personal sins like his affair with Bathsheba and the subsequent death of her husband, the Bible calls him a man after God’s own heart. (We will talk about this remarkable description a bit later), but for now just let me say this. David was called and anointed to be king and even still things did not go smoothly for him. In 1 Samuel 13:14 we see that God is seeking for “a man after his own heart” before Samuel chose David and in Acts 13:22 David was described by God as a man “who will do my will.”
Now at the time in his life when he wrote Psalm 86, David is hunted, betrayed, outnumbered. Yet instead of despair, he remembers. He remembers all the ways God had rescued him in his life and had revealed His character. He quotes the name of God as revealed in Exodus 34 and anchors his prayer in God’s character. We have put in bold the part of the Psalm where he quotes the name of God as given to Moses.
Listen to this prayer from King David who lived 1000 years before Jesus so 3000 years ago.
1 Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God; 3 have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to you all day long. 4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you. 5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. 6 Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. 7 When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me. 8 Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. 9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. 10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. 11 Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. 12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. 13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead. 14 Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; ruthless people are trying to kill me – they have no regard for you. 15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. 16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did. 17 Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me. – Psalm 86:1-17
There are several things we can grow to know about God’s compassion and God’s grace through the ways Davd relates to Him.
First, God’s compassion invites us to be honest.
Can’t you just feel David’s anguish?
Can you relate to how he is feeling at this moment?
David was honest about reality.
He felt poor and needy. He lacked joy. He needed to be saved.
Have you ever felt this way? Do you go to God like David did?
You and I can be just as honest to God as he is in these prayers.
You see, faith does not deny fear. It brings fear into God’s presence.
When you understand God’s true nature, you will feel more free to be fully transparent and vulnerable and real.
David understood God’s compassion because He had experienced His forgiveness and His tender mercies time and time again.
If you look up the word “compassion” in the English dictionary it means: “feeling deep sympathy, care, and sadness for people or animals who are suffering or in trouble, and wanting to help fix or ease that pain.”
That is an amazing thought!
Sometimes other English translations of the Bible of the same word can give us even more insight into what this means. Although many use the word “compassion” some versions use the word “merciful” and one of my favorites is the translation that uses “tender mercies”.
Consider that idea: The first characteristic God wants us to know about Him is that He is aware of our pain and feels for us. He feels tender and merciful towards us. He wants to ease our pain.
Now you may be thinking: well He is the Creator of all things, why did He create things in such a way that we experience pain in the first place?
Well, as you probably know He created us for a relationship with Him, but the only way to actually experience a loving relationship is for there to be freedom in that relationship. He didn’t want to create robots to do His bidding or puppets to do what He wants. He created men and women in His image who have the freedom to say “yes” or to say “no” to being in relationship with Him.
In that freedom we chose to go on our way, and those consequences mean separation from Him and His goodness, and He has made a way for us back to Him.
The word compassion gets even more meaningful. Check this out. The Hebrew word for Rachum is used in the Bible almost exclusively to describe God and this word shares a root word with “womb” as in a “mother’s womb.”
God is saying: I feel about you the way a mother feels for her child growing within her. This is a very deep, visceral, and protective love. And this is not just a passive feeling of pity, but a profound emotional stirring that moves someone to rescue, nurture, and protect.
That’s how God feels about you.
A quick and important note about God. The Bible uses both masculine and feminine imagery to describe God. This should not scare us, but comfort us. New York City pastor Tim Keller explains this idea this way: The Bible’s use of “Father” to describe God does not imply that God is a male deity. Because God is spirit, He transcends biological sex. Instead, Keller explains that all human parental love – both the protective, stable love of a father and the fierce, visceral love of a mother – finds its ultimate source and perfect expression in the character of God. Human genders are reflections of the Imago Dei (Image of God); therefore, both maternal and paternal qualities are rooted directly in God’s heart.
By the way, the Bible Project does a great series on all of the name of God.
But wait there’s more, God is not only compassionate, He is also gracious.
You see.
2. God’s favors you.
God is gracious. Listen to how biblical scholars describe the meaning of the Hebrew word for gracious.
It means “spontaneous, undeserved favor” “Chanun” describes a posture of pure generosity. It means giving a valuable gift or showing profound kindness to someone who has no legal claim to it and has done nothing to earn it.
The Psalms dismantle “be good, get blessed.” God’s compassion flows from His nature, not our merit.
The root verb literally conveys the physical action of “bending or inclining toward someone.” It paints a word picture of a superior, wealthy, or powerful ruler voluntarily stooping down to look an inferior in the eye, comforting them, and stepping in to grant them favor and help.
Another scholar said that “while the previous word in the verse “compassion” focuses on a motherly emotional stirring over someone’s plight, “gracious” is the active, generous response that fixes the problem. It is the character trait that transforms abstract pity into an actual, tangible rescue mission.”
In other words, God favors.
So what does that look like?
Notice again how David views God’s heart towards him. He writes:
13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead. 14 Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; ruthless people are trying to kill me – they have no regard for you. 15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. – Psalm 86:13-15
Let me ask you a question. I want you to be very honest with yourself.
Do you feel like you experience God’s favor?
Or do you feel like you cannot catch a break from God?
Because here is the honest situation: too often we measure God’s love for us based on our circumstances rather than on His character.
Notice David’s circumstances are not good at all! He is under attack by ruthless and arrogant foes who want to kill him!
Have any of you ever had someone trying to kill you?
No need to raise your hands.
What I am trying to point out is David did not allow His current circumstances – as awful as they were – get in the way of how He viewed God.
You see, he was very aware of all the ways God had come through before.
Are you fully aware of all the ways God has blessed you?
With life? With parents? With health? With friends? With freedom? With opportunity? With healing? With new life?
You may be thinking – I don’t have all those things. Well none of us probably have all those things, but are you focused more on the ones you don’t have are more focused on the ones you do have?
Too many times in my life, I focus on the one or two things that are going the way I want them to go and it overwhelms me – to the point where I am completely blind to all the things that are going incredibly well.
God never promised us a life without suffering. He promised to be with us in our suffering.
Notice when David quotes the name of God:
Even as all the people opposing David attacked him, David says: “But You…”
Psalm 86:15 becomes the part of the passage when David shifts from his circumstances where enemies rage against him to God’s character which does not change.. 15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. – Psalm 86:15
Even when the broken world is far more obvious to us, the truth is the One who created us and the One who holds us and all of creation in His hand is compassionate and gives us good things we do not deserve. He favors us.
How would your life change if you began to see yourself as one of God’s favorites?
You weren’t just lucky. Those weren’t just coincidences.
What if we realized every good gift we have is a gift from God as Jesus’ half-brother James said in his letter to the church. James and Jesus had the same Mom but different Dads.
Listen to what he wrote:
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” – James 1:17
Whether you realize it or not, you are blessed and highly favored. And the sooner you realize this (regardless of your circumstances) the closer you will be to understanding who God really is and how He really sees you.
Listen to how the man who could be killed by his enemies viewed God in another Psalm he wrote:
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. 4 One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. 5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty – and I will meditate on your wonderful works. 6 They tell of the power of your awesome works – and I will proclaim your great deeds. 7 They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. 8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. 9 The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. 10 All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you. 11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, 12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. 14 The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. – Psalm 145:3:16
Start noticing God’s goodness around you.
Recognize the great ways he answers the prayers of others even when he doesn’t seem to be answering you own.
Look back in the story of the people of God to see God at work even when it doesn’t seem as obvious to you now.
Have others in your small group or your Sunday serve team help you see what you may be missing.
3. We can become people “after God’s own heart”
David was called that, but what does that mean?
Some biblical scholars point to David’s total reliance on God and his willingness to quickly repent:
Total Reliance: David consistently sought God’s counsel before making major decisions, viewing God as his primary protector and guide rather than just relying on his own royal power.
Deep Repentance: When confronted with his grave sins—such as adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah – David did not make excuses. Instead, he confessed, humbled himself, and sought mercy, as seen in Psalm 51.
You see, David didn’t just know about God, he knew His name. He lived believing God was truly compassionate and gracious even if circumstances seemed to indicate otherwise. He quotes the name of God from Exodus 34 three times in the Psalms.
For David, doctrine became devotion. What he believed about God affected how he faced life. In other words, theology becomes prayer.
Are you a woman after God’s own heart? A man after God’s own heart?
Do you want to know His compassion? Do you recognize His favor?
Do you want to see the world through this understanding of God?
Here’s how: repent and ask for God’s help.
Be honest with God. Ask for help to believe. Ask for forgiveness. Ask for Him to lead you and guide you. Spend time with Him on your own and in community. And then do the things you sense He is calling you to do. The more you do this, the clearer and clearer His voice will become.
4. A holy fear of God draws us closer to God not away from Him.
Fearing God helps us overcome all other fears including fearing people. Reverent awe leads to trusting God. Psalm 103 reframes God not as a distant monarch but a compassionate Father.
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. 15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children — 18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. 19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. – Psalm 103:13-19
Do you fear God more than you fear people?
Like do you have a holy respect and an awareness that your life is in His hands?
That you owe Him everything because He gave you life and all good gifts we enjoy?
When you know who God is, you know how to pray – even in the worst moments of your life.
Let’s let God’s character shape our prayers.
Let’s refuse to let crisis determine how you see God.
He is with us. He sees you with compassion and with grace.
When you anchor your prayers in God’s character instead of your crisis, you discover a compassion that does not waver—even when everything else does.
Jesus shows this love for those around Him. He was God in human form.
Listen to Matthew 9:36 – “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Jesus loves you. Perhaps you can admit that too often in life you have felt harassed or helpless. Today, let him be your shepherd to love you, protect you, to bring you into His family, to help you become all who He created you to be.