The Word God Uses Most to Describe Himself—And Why It Changes Everything!

“The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out, ‘Yahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.’”
— Exodus 34:6 (NLT)

If you could sit face to face with God and ask Him, “Who are You really?” — what do you think He would say?

Would He begin with His power? His holiness? His justice?

You might be surprised.

When God reveals Himself in His own words, He doesn’t begin with lightning bolts or warnings. He opens His heart. And what comes out is a word so deep, so powerful, so personal, it echoes across nearly every book of the Bible:

Chesed.

🕊️ What Is Chesed?

Chesed (חֶסֶד) is a Hebrew word often translated as:

• Unfailing love
• Steadfast love
• Lovingkindness
• Mercy

But no single English word can capture its full meaning. It is the love that keeps loving. The kindness that won’t let go. The covenant loyalty of a God who refuses to walk away from His people—even when they walk away from Him.

Chesed is not just how God feels about you—it’s how God acts toward you. It is love in motion. It is mercy applied. It is grace that pursues, forgives, and restores.

📣 The Word God Uses Most to Describe Himself

In Exodus 34:6–7, when God passes in front of Moses and declares His name and nature, He starts here:

“The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in chesed and truth…”

This is the most-quoted self-description of God in the entire Bible. It becomes the foundation for how the psalmists, prophets, and even Jesus Himself refer to the Father.

Over and over again, the Bible returns to this moment—not to remind us of God’s power, or His judgement but to remind us of His heart of chesed…

🔁 The Most Repeated Character Trait of God in the Bible

Chesed appears 248 times in the Old Testament. No other word describing God’s character—holy, just, righteous, or even merciful—is repeated as often.

You see it in:

• Genesis 24:27 – “The LORD has shown unfailing love and faithfulness…”
• Ruth 2:20 – “He is showing his unfailing love to both the living and the dead…”
• Psalm 136 – “His faithful love endures forever” is repeated 26 times.
• Micah 7:18–20 – “You delight in showing unfailing love…”

From Genesis to the Prophets to the Psalms, the Bible testifies: chesed is the heartbeat of God.

The Revelation That Changes Everything

For several months, I focused on studying the attributes of God in the Psalms. I found over 300 descriptions of His character — He is a refuge, a rock, a deliverer, a shepherd, a shield. But one attribute stood above them all: chesed — God’s unfailing love.

David didn’t just sing about it; he fought with it. “Your unfailing love is better than life” (Psalm 63:3). “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6). This wasn’t theology. It was the revelation that anchored his life.

Psalm 103:7 says, “He revealed His character to Moses and His deeds to the people of Israel.” The people saw what God did. Leaders like Moses don’t just know what God can do they know who God is. That difference can take your destiny and your impact to another level!

Leaders like David, Moses, and Paul didn’t just know about God — they knew God. And the truth that anchored their lives was this: nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38).

God’s chesed is not just an attribute. It’s His nature. And when you understand that — everything changes.

📜 The Bible Is a Declaration—of Who God Says He Is

So many people have a distorted image of God—not because they’ve heard His voice, but because they’ve believed someone else’s version of Him.

But the Bible is not a record of who people say God is. It is the revelation of who God says He is.

It is a love letter, a covenant story, a living record of divine self-disclosure. And page after page, it proclaims: God is full of unfailing love. He is faithful. He is kind. He is good.

⚔️ Two Voices Over Your Life

There are two voices that speak over your life:

• The voice of the accuser (Satan): the one who distorts God’s character, attacks your identity, and fills your mind with confusion, guilt and fear.
• The voice of your Advocate (Jesus): the one who speaks through God’s Word, draws you close, and reminds you who God is and who you are in Him.

One of the greatest truths I have discovered after years of studying God word is this: The voice that pushes you away from God is never the voice of God!

That’s why it is absolutely critical that the loudest voice in your life is not the voice of your adversary—but the voice of your Advocate.

And that will happen when you spend time in the Word of God and let the true voice of God become the greatest voice in your life.

📖 The Greatest Investment You Can Make

Romans 12:2 (NLT) says:

“Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

The greatest transformation that can happen in your life is a transformation in how you think about God.

Dr. David Jeremiah once said, “The Bible is the greatest source of good thoughts in the world.”

And the American Bible Society confirmed it. Their groundbreaking 2023 “State of the Bible” survey revealed:

“Bible reading consistently leads to even greater decreases in stress and anxiety, reduced loneliness, and increased hope than exercise, meditation, or even spending time with a friend.”

Why? Because when you spend time in Scripture, you’re not just reading—you’re listening to the voice of the One who is for you, who knows you, loves you, and who will reveal Himself to you.

Morris Cerullo called the Bible “the voice of God!”

As you read it – study it – meditate in it – you will discover that you are hearing the voice of *chesed*.

🙌 Final Thought

God doesn’t want to have a conversation with you about your past. God would much rather have a conversation with you about His future plans for you.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

You were never meant to live your life defined by the voice of shame, fear, or insecurity. You were meant to live defined by who God says He is and who He says you are.

He is not against you—He is more for you than you know…

God sees something greater in you than you see in yourself!

He is not distant—He is near.

He is not mad at you—He delights in you.

He is full of chesed. And He wants you to know it.

🙏 Closing Prayer

Father, let Your voice become the greatest voice in my life. Silence the lies of the enemy and heal every false belief I’ve carried about who You are. Let the truth of Your Word renew my mind and restore my heart. Show me Your unfailing love again and again. Draw me near and teach me to live anchored in who You say You are—and who You say I am to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

You are not forgotten. You are not disqualified. You are not alone.

You are loved with chesed—unfailing love!

If this message about God’s unfailing love—His chesed—has stirred something in your heart, like it has in mine – then I’d love for you to get a copy of my book, Your Promotion Is in Motion. It’s filled with seven life-changing words that God spoke to me from His word some that I believe will bless and encourage you in the great future God has for your life, your family and your ministry!

You can check it out right here: Your Promotion Is In Motion!