Devotions: Unwavering Compassion

But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly; They became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments. They refused to listen, And did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You had performed among them; So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You are a God of forgiveness, Gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; And You did not forsake them. Even when they made for themselves A calf of molten metal And said, ‘This is your God Who brought you up from Egypt,’ And committed great blasphemies, You, in Your great compassion, Did not forsake them in the wilderness; The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day, To guide them on their way, Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go.

Nehemiah 9:16-19 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

After Nehemiah had been in Jerusalem for some time, Ezra, another exile and a priest, found the book of the law and read it to the people. They then reinstated the feasts and holy days which used to be observed. During the first feast, the people confessed their sin to God and made a covenant, signing a document showing their obligation and commitment to Him.
It is so important, when starting over, to truly start over. We can’t make a new beginning if we don’t go back to the beginning and start with a clean slate. In order to have a clean slate, we must confess our sin. This isn’t just being sorry for what we did, it is agreeing with God about our sin, acknowledging our wrong, asking God to forgive us and then turning away from that sin. It is humbling and painful, but it is also restoring. And because our God is compassionate by nature, He will forgive. He has promised to. He will not abandon us, or decide we have gone too far, sinned too many times, or are not worth saving. He is as faithful as we are wayward, as loving as we are selfish, as merciful as we are arrogant. Do not fear. God will forgive you, indeed He is waiting to welcome you back with open arms and restore your relationship with him.