Dwelling on God’s Character

Meditating on God’s character can renew our hearts, minds and souls in difficult seasons

Today, as I write, I’m staring at the large oak tree that grows right outside the window in front of my desk. Every spring, I find myself scanning the limbs for the signs of spring. I know that at first, the slightest hint of green will appear, so slight that I’ll wonder if I’m really seeing it or not. But before long, buds will appear, then leaves and the leaf-less limbs of winter will only be a memory. 

Spring is a time when the world becomes new again. Trees bud. Flowers bloom. Birds build nests and lay eggs. Spring is a beautiful season, and I look forward to the transition from the bleakness of winter to the vibrancy of spring. 

But, sometimes, the parts of our lives that need to experience vibrancy and new life aren’t just dormant flower beds and neglected yards. Sometimes, it’s our hearts and our souls that need refreshing the most—and for me, one of most refreshing things I can do as a Christ follower is to focus on the character of God and to rest my faith and hope in the truth of who he is. 

If you’re feeling a little hopeless and faithless today, join me in dwelling on several facets of God’s character. 

He is the God who makes all things new. 

In Revelation 21:5, God makes a bold declaration about himself: “Look, I am making everything new” (CSB). In those seasons when I feel distant from God or disappointed, overlooked or overwhelmed, it’s this reminder that he is a God who redeems the mess, who takes all that is broken and overwhelmed, forgotten and disappointing, and ultimately makes it new. Does it mean my situation magically gets better in an instant? No. But it means I lift my eyes from my circumstances to the reality of a God who is in the business of redeeming, reforming and remaking. I remember that he sees, he knows, and he cares. And he can even use the worst moments of my life to create something beautiful with lasting, eternal value. 

He does not abandon us. 

Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, God is clear that he is a faithful God who does not abandon his children. In Moses’ farewell address to the Israelites, he reminds them that they have never been alone—not even when they were wandering in the wilderness because of their own stubbornness and sin. “For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you,” Moses declared, “he will not abandon you” (Deut. 31:6). In Hebrews 13:5, the promise comes again: “I will not leave you or forsake you.” You may feel alone or forsaken or completely forgotten, but you aren’t. The God who called you, the God who gave his one and only Son for you, the God who loves you more than you know is with you. Let that truth refresh your heart and soul today. 

He is good. 

In some seasons, particularly ones of disappointment, grief or sadness, it’s easy to forget or even question God’s goodness. But God has revealed his character to us through Scripture and through Jesus, and both attest to his goodness again and again. “You are good, and you do what is good,” the psalmist declared in Psalm 119:68. Every good and perfect gift comes from him, according to James 1:17, and Jesus himself declared that he is the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. We may question God’s goodness when we are faced with truly terrible circumstances, but it doesn’t change the fact that his very character is good. Whenever you doubt that, look to the cross. In his goodness, Jesus took the penalty for our sin so that we could know him and be with him forever. Ask God to help you see his goodness, even in the toughest situations and seasons you face. 

He is generous. 

“Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us,” Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesian (Eph. 3:20), “to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.” God is able to do more than we can ask or imagine. He is generous in his love toward us, his treatment of us and the way he has redeemed us. The Old Testament frequently describes God as “abounding in love,” and he has revealed that love even more abundantly through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. When we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). In seasons when we are distant from God or angry, upset, disappointed or mired in sin, it can be easy to believe he is withholding everything good from us. But he isn’t. He has even given his one and only Son to set us free from the bondage and consequence of sin. He is a God who does not withhold one ounce of his goodness, and one day, we will experience it in its fullness in heaven. 

He is faithful.

God doesn’t abandon us, but he also doesn’t give up on us. God is a pursuing God who seeks us out and is faithful through every season of our lives, the easy ones and the most difficult. If you’ll stop for a moment and simply sit in his presence, the Holy Spirit can start to remind you of all the ways God has shown you his faithfulness over the years—doors he opened and closed, people he brought into your life, hope that flickered in the darkness when the world didn’t understand how you could still have hope. Whether you feel like it right now or not, God doesn’t get tired of us and walk away. His faithfulness is one of his defining characteristics, and he is faithful even when we are faithless (2 Tim. 2:13). 

These are just a few facets of God’s unchanging, flawless character. If your heart or soul needs refreshing, take a few minutes to simply meditate on who God is and let these powerful truths renew your spirit.