“The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy” (Psalm 145:8, NKJV). This verse is a compact description of God’s character, and it’s worth reading slowly rather than rushing past it as familiar language.
Slow to anger doesn’t mean never angered. It means patient, giving room before reacting, extending far more grace than most of us extend to each other or even to ourselves.
Great in mercy pairs with that patience. Not grudging mercy, measured out carefully, but abundant mercy, freely given.
If you’ve been picturing God as quick to frustration with you, this verse offers a needed correction. Slow to anger, great in mercy, is the character actually described here.