Micah 7:18 Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives transgression?

It is so interesting to me that those are the characteristics that set our God aside from all the others. And yet, in a real sense, they are. The image behind the pardon is that of a king formally telling a criminal that he is free from the penalty of his wrongdoing, guiltless in the eyes of the government, though he is powerless to make himself so. All the power rests in the hands of the one on the throne. And that's what our God does. We stand before Him guilty and wretched, headed for the executioner's block, and He pardons us. There is no god like Him.

I have to say that, though I am personally opposed to waking up any earlier than I absolutely have to, the time in the morning before anyone else is up has to be one of my favorite times of the day. The house and the neighborhood are at peace. The sun hasn't yet risen, and it seems like the whole world is breathing deeply in sleep. It is a quality of hour that calls for prayer, and I can understand David's words, so often, of seeking God's face in the morning. No one else is around but God; He's just there, waiting for His people to seek Him, keeping His appointment, offering Himself at the first of the day. I love that about Him--that He eagerly waits to meet with those He loves. I don't understand how anyone can ascribe to Him anything less than a personality that gives itself totally.