“What’s he like in person?”
“So, was she what you expected?”
When we go on a first date after meeting someone online or when we run into someone famous who we’ve only learned about from afar, we often tell others about what was better (or worse) than we expected. “They’re much shorter in person” or “they seemed so sincere, but they were very standoffish.”
It’s amazing what a big deal first impressions are and how being the same people in-person as we are online can make a real difference. What if the most important 'first impression' we could have is discovering what God is really like when we encounter Him personally? Those experiences were on my mind as I listened to SEU Worship’s new song, “A Forgiving God.” Many people have thoughts about what God is like, and we’ve all heard someone share about his or her experience with God. However, when we consider our personal experience, that’s where things get interesting.
A.W. Tozer famously wrote, “the most important thing about you is what you think about when you think about God.” SEU Worship is describing their answer to that question with the title track of their album, “A Forgiving God.”
In a post on the SEU website, the group summarized the essence of the album.
“At its core, this album is a declaration of who God is: merciful, patient, and always welcoming. The message woven throughout the album is one of homecoming — returning to grace, confronting shame, and stepping into the ongoing work of healing and redemption. The songs within the album speak directly to the journey of faith, echoing the stumbles, the longing, and the quiet resolve to follow Jesus again and again. The resounding message is that no matter how far we drift or how often we need to start over, God’s arms remain open. The heart of the album reflects a declaration: He’s a forgiving God.”
From my first listen, “A Forgiving God” reminded me of one of my favorite parables, recorded in Luke 15:11-32. While the most famous title for this parable is The Parable of the Prodigal Son, I resonate with Henri Nouwen who offered an alternative title, “The Parable of the Loving Father,” and Timothy Keller who titled his first bestselling book, The Prodigal God. The parable’s great power is the insight it provides us into the heart of God, and the way God responds to His children.
The bridge of “A Forgiving God” includes a refrain that echoes the words of Luke 15. In the song, SEU Worship sings about God’s response to our sin and wandering.
“He's been sitting on the porch
Awaiting your arrival
You never left His heart
He's always thinking of you.”
These lyrics artistically present the vision described in Luke 15. “And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.” Far too many people think that God is waiting to judge, condemn, and reject them after a period of waywardness. Instead, the picture Jesus paints of the father is one of loving compassion, yearning for reunion and reconciliation.
In the same post mentioned above, SEU Worship states, “The title track, A Forgiving God, is the heart of the album…the song captures the depth of God’s love for those who return to Him. Whether someone is standing strong in their faith or finding their way back, this track serves as a reminder that there is always forgiveness waiting.”
The heart SEU Worship describes within this album echoes one of my favorite psalms. In Psalm 103, David wrote,
“He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.”
Maybe you rejected your Heavenly father, ran in the opposite direction from Him, and embraced a sinful path which destroyed your life. Perhaps you’re feeling shame or fear or rejection. Are you expecting God to be “sitting on the porch awaiting your arrival?” If God was waiting for your arrival, would that news inspire you to come home or provoke fear of returning to Him?
Your vision and expectations of God are so important because they determine what you’ll do when life doesn’t go the way you planned and you fall short of even your own standards. What you believe about God, as Tozer said, is incredibly important.
I love the reminder that SEU Worship’s “A Forgiving God” gives us. When we have a God like this, we can run to Him, no matter what we’ve done or where we’ve been. If you’ve been out on your own and you’re feeling beat up, weary, and betrayed, may this song be a reminder of God’s invitation to you. While we may feel like a prodigal son or daughter, the good news is that we serve a God who loves and restores prodigals. We have a forgiving God!
Scott Savage is a pastor, author, and speaker with the best last name in the world. Scott’s writing helps people transform difficult circumstances into places where they can thrive. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona, and loves watching movies with his wife and three kids. You can begin Scott’s life-changing project, The 21 Day Gratitude Challenge, today.
