“Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.” Psalm 63:3
Most of us have heard God is love. But did anyone ever look you in the eye and say, “God is kind?”
Growing up, I heard plenty about God being holy, just, and powerful. I even heard that God is love. But no one ever sat across from me, looked me in the eye, and said, “Do you know that God is kind?” Do those words feel too soft, too gentle for the God you heard about in church. Maybe you’ve felt the same way. Kindness sounded like something for a Sunday School teacher or a grandmother, not the Almighty Creator. But if you listen to the heartbeat of Scripture, you’ll hear it again and again: God is kind.
Let’s be honest. Kindness isn’t the first thing we expect from God when we’re hurting or when we feel like we’ve failed too many times. In those moments, we brace ourselves for disappointment, judgment, or at best, cold tolerance. But the Bible refuses to let us stay in that pit. It pulls us out by repeating, over and over, that God’s deepest heart for us is kindness.
The Old Testament’s favorite word for this is chesed, a Hebrew word so packed with meaning that translators can’t squeeze it into just one English word. Sometimes it’s called “steadfast love.” Other times, “lovingkindness,” “mercy,” or simply “kindness.” Psalm 117 shouts it from the rooftops:
“For great is his merciful kindness (steadfast love) toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endureth forever. Praise the Lord!”
Over and over we read,
“His merciful kindness (steadfast love) endureth forever.”
It’s a drumbeat through Israel’s story, a melody of mercy that keeps showing up even when people fail.
When God reveals Himself to Moses, He says He is “abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands.” The God who spoke the universe into being introduces Himself as overflowing with kindness. Not just willing to forgive, but eager, rich in mercy and steadfast love.
The New Testament picks up the same melody. The Greek word is not just “nice,” but a deep, upright, generous, and practical goodness. Paul writes that in the coming ages, God will show us
“the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”
And in Titus, we read,
“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…”
And then there’s Romans 2:4, a verse that has stopped me in my tracks more than once:
“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”
It’s not fear, not shame, not threats that lead us back to God. It’s His kindness.
Kindness isn’t just a soft word or a gentle feeling. Kindness is the power of God’s love, reaching out in practical ways to meet you at your deepest need. When we’re at our lowest, kindness is what stoops down to lift us up. It’s God’s character shining through, no matter what.
When you think of God, is kindness the first thing that comes to mind? Why or why not?
In our next post, we’ll explore how you can’t earn or lose God’s kindness because it’s who He is, not something He does.