Micah 7:19-20 “You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be true to Jacob and show mercy to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago.”

“You will again have compassion on us,” Micah says. Again. God showing compassion is practically the story of the whole Bible, isn’t it? Adam and Eve fall into sin, and God shows compassion by winning them back to his side from the devil. They lose a son Abel and God replaces him with Seth. Noah lives in a world that has become dark and dangerous for the believer in God, and the Lord shows compassion by sparing him and his family from the flood in the ark. Abraham and Sarah are childless, so God gives them a son in their old age. Joseph is sold into slavery in Egypt, so God raises him up to become prime minister of that country. One story after another recounts God’s compassion.

We may not know the details of God’s plans for our future. But the conclusion he wants us to draw from thousands of years of previous history is this: they all involve compassion. Our pain genuinely moves him, and he cares how we are treated.

Do you want to know how to get a parent riled up? Then hurt one of their children, and see if the claws don’t come out. Do you want to see a parent moved to action? Then see what they do when their children are in distress. By sacrificing his Son and forgiving our sins, God has made us his children. When we hurt, whether in body or in soul, God plans to have compassion.

That doesn’t mean we never suffer now. This has been another year of hurricanes, wild fires, and extreme weather. You know that your own life hasn’t been an endless parade of happy events.

For the believing child of God it does mean that he isn’t punishing us for past indiscretions. “You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea,” the prophet promises with two more pictures of grace that need no explaining. Our suffering may present our Lord with a new opportunity to show us compassion, but it is never payback for our sins. That’s not the kind of God he is.

These are all happy thoughts. They make our God truly unique. But we will share the prophet’s praise and optimism only if we can say with him, “Your promise is dependable.” “You will be true to Jacob and show mercy to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago.”

Do you know what Jacob and Abraham had in common, besides being grandson and grandfather? They had the saving promises of God, the promises that involved a Savior, and blessings for all nations on earth, and heaven. We may not be their genetic descendants, but we belong to the same family of faith. We own the same saving promises.

All by itself God’s word is his bond. His promises never fail. Bible scholar Alfred Edersheim documents 456 distinct prophecies Jesus fulfilled, prophecies made hundreds and even thousands of years before his birth. Such accuracy gives us no reason to doubt God’s word.

In case some sliver of doubt remains, the Lord says, “I will go one step further. You have ample evidence that my word is good. But I will put myself under oath. Even though you have no right or reason to question me, because I am God and you are not, I make you my judge and invite you to hold me accountable to my promise.” If you were God, would you make a concession like that to the little creatures you had made?

Do you remember God’s appearance to the prophet Elijah on Mount Horeb after wicked Queen Jezebel threatened to end the prophet’s life? God put Elijah in a cave, and there was a great wind that tore apart the rocks, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then there was an earthquake that shook the mountain, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then there was a fire that swept across the mountain. But the Lord was not in the fire. Finally God spoke with a still, small voice–just a gentle whisper of his grace–and God was in that word.

Do you want to know what God is really like? Listen to what Elijah heard, look where Micah looks. In the forgiveness and compassion of an absolutely faithful God, you will find a God like no one else.