Getting to know Father God, Abba, by using the words He personally used to describe Himself, astonishes us at how GOOD the I AM is. He is first merciful and then gracious. Now, He tells us He is longsuffering.

What does it mean when God, I AM, tells us He is longsuffering? This word means that He is slow to anger. I know that you have been told that God is just watching every move you make, and you better watch, and you better not pout, but God is watching the good and bad you do. You think He is just looking for a reason to hurt, discipline, and be disappointed in you. That is not true. He is longsuffering.

He is patient of spirit. You will not believe this, but indulgent is one of the first words used in the Hebrew Lexicon or dictionary to explain longsuffering. Yes, you read that word right—indulgent.

Indulgent is an adjective that describes the tendency to allow someone to have or do what they want. It is being lenient or even overly permissive.

Indulgence means accepting faults or weaknesses and treating others with excessive kindness or generosity.

It is the term used of parents or grandparents who might spoil their children by giving them too much freedom or not setting appropriate boundaries. It means easygoing, forgiving, and tolerant. The word originates from the idea of “giving free rein to” and has been in use since the early 16th century.

Remember the story of David killing Uriah and taking Bathsheba? Nathan tells the story of the rich man stealing the poor man’s sheep, and then, when David is furious, Nathan announces, “David you are that man.”

Then Nathan says, “This is what the Lord said. You are now the king I have made; I gave you your master’s house and wives and both kingdoms of Israel and Judah, David, and I would have given you even more, but you killed Uriah and took his wife.

God says that He would have indulged David with even more than He had given him if only David had not treated the Word of God with contempt. II Samuel 12:1-9.

What an illustration of indulgence! David sinned, but even in his sin, God says, “I would have given you more if all I had given you were not enough.” David took but didn’t ask.

The word longsuffering comes from a Hebrew idiom, long of nose or long of breathing. It speaks of how anger is associated with rapid, violent breathing through the nostrils. So, being long of nose or long of breathing speaks of being slow to get angry, patient. Think of the calm, measured breathing of someone who is slow to anger.

In other words, God, I AM, is patient, enduring trying circumstances with an even temper. He has endurance.

God is not some crotchety old man who is just looking for a fight or a reason to be angry with you.

The word also refers to long feathers, the original Hebrew meaning. His patience and longsuffering are far-reaching, as in great long feathers. God is so kind, so merciful, and gracious that He will put up with a lot of His people. Just look at how He acted with the people of Israel.

See Jesus on the cross, enduring everything patiently for us. He saw beyond all He was suffering to the joy set before Him. Hebrews 12.

Remember when the children of Israel wanted meat to eat against His will? He gave it to them. God is overly kind to us.

I hope this helps you see the Father is nothing like what you might have heard from religion or the world.

Your Father, the great I AM, is merciful, full of grace and patience, and there is still more to come.