The LORD is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.
–Psalm 145:8
Since the beginning of civilization, people have been creating gods.
The Greeks worshiped twelve main gods, but there were thousands of personal household ones that received most of their attention. The Romans adopted a multitude of gods into their society. The Egyptians had nearly 9000. Hindu scriptures acknowledge 330 million gods!
All were created by man to provide for different needs or explain different occurrences in nature — death, birth, earthquakes, war, rain, growth, protection, strength, health, hunting, and fertility. No one god managed everything. In fact, several of them were too busy quarreling, indulging in revelry, satisfying their own desires or their rage, to develop a great care for humans at all.
Jehovah is different.
There is no god like Him. He is One. Yet, He is everything. He contains all the gleaming attributes that had been divided up into the thousands of deities created by the world. He alone has them all. Humankind needs nothing more. We need no one but Him to care for us. For in Jehovah we have justice, power, foresight. We have goodness, kindness, patience, forgiveness, tenderness, and love. Our God does not quarrel. He doesn’t contend with other deities at all. There is only Him.
He is more than enough.
Prayer
Holy and gracious God, Thank You for embodying the attributes of grace, mercy, righteousness, and love. Thank You for knowing my name and for loving me as Your child. I am humbled in Your presence and I love You. In Christ Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Reflection
What three qualities of God do I find most valuable in my life?