Psalm 86:15(NIV)

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

I once had a job that I really loved.  Every day when I woke up the first thing that I thought of was getting to work.  I found the work to be stimulating and I got along really well with my coworkers.  The only problem was that the boss was a tyrant.  He would give seemingly impossible responsibilities and timetables that were unworkable.  Sometimes we would be pushed to the point where accidents would happen.  Then we would immediately be scolded for the distraction and inconvenience to him.  Often at the beginning of a day he would go over a list of the mistakes that were made the day before.  Someone forgot to sweep the floor before closing or a box had been placed in the wrong bin.  Most of the items on his list seemed minuscule and there was never praise for a job well-done.

Each time we were given a task the boss would stand nearby always watching to make sure we didn’t waste time.  Sometimes he would require us to be two places at the same time.  He would assign us the job of restocking the shelves in the stock room but then require us to assist customers at the same time.  Yet it was impossible to see the store from the stock room. Still I loved working at this job.

Many people have this picture of God, they see Him as the impossible boss who gives out difficult responsibilities and is demanding and impatient.

The Bible describes Him in a different light, however.  He is described as, “merciful” and “gracious.”  He is slow to get angry and He is full of love for us.  If I could have had God for a boss I would have loved that job even more.