A reflection on God’s mercy towards me throughout the year.
I’ve often pondered on God’s mercy. Frankly, I think that along with humility, these are two of the hardest (if not the two hardest) of God’s qualities to grasp, even as one who is saved. At it’s very root, it seems to have a nature of going far beyond what appears to be necessary or deserved, yet true biblical study reveals that it is not just a part of His character, or something He does every now and then, when He feels like it. Instead, in the same way He is totally righteous, totally powerful, totally loving, and totally wrathful, (and these qualities are all linked together; so He is totally powerfully loving, and totally righteously wrathful), He is also totally merciful.
That being said, in this post I aim to unpack a small number of the vast mysteries of God’s mercy, and look at some of the reasons why He is merciful towards us in particular. My prayer is that this study will not lead us into taking for granted the awesome mercies God has for us, but that instead it would touch us (yes, myself included!) to humbly submit ourselves in obedience; for as Paul says in Romans 6:1-4…
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
However, before we look into that, there are 3 key things that I want to touch on to give a healthy foundation to build on.
1. We don’t deserve his mercy
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
– Romans 3:23
At the beginning of time, Adam and Eve sinned against God. Instead of obeying their first love, they chose to listen to the serpent, leading to the most significant event in history: The Fall.
As a direct result of their sin, humans lost the close fellowship they had previously enjoyed with God, and so began the passing down of the nature of sin that disqualifies us from entering into eternal life.
2. We can’t deserve his mercy
Because of the nature of sin now passed down from human to human, we have no ability in ourselves to earn God’s mercy. To be fair, we never would have had that ability; only before we were blameless in God’s eyes, and therefore had no hole to climb out of, so to speak.
This is spoken about in Romans 3:10-11:
“as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God…””
Notice where it says; “…no one understands…”. A lack of understanding doesn’t particularly speak of someone who can do something! Praise God for not only sending His son to save us, but for also giving us His Holy Spirit to be able to understand and walk in His light!
3. We don’t want his mercy
“because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”
– Romans 1:25
Humans naturally oppose God. This verse speaks of our turning from God, to our own, prideful lusts and desires. The Christian walk is really one of humility, as ultimately it is a total abandonment of one’s natural desire to worship self (or anything really, other than God), which is gracefully facilitated by the power of the Holy Spirit working within us.
So, we don’t deserve God’s mercy, we can never attain it, and forgetting all that…we don’t even have any natural desire for it! Yet God still forgives us…but how, and more importantly why?
1. Well firstly…he CAN forgive us!
“I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”
Isaiah 43:25
“I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake,
And I will not remember your sins.”
Hebrews 8:12
“And their sins and their lawless deeds
I will remember no more.”
Hebrews 10:17
Unlike humans who have an uncanny ability to be unforgiving, our God is able to forgive. Hallelujah! He is the sole source of forgiveness; and the most incredible thing about his forgiveness is that it doesn’t speak of God just forgetting and not being able to remember. God is unable to forget; He is of course perfect.
No, what’s incredible is that he CHOOSES not to remember. What a soul shaking, tear bringing, profound reality! Most of us forgive because after a set amount of time we decide we feel ok enough with what has happened to move on, yet our God, who is constantly wronged an infinite amount more by us humans CHOOSES to FORGET our sins the moment they register!
2. Because He has promised He will; for His name’s sake.
“…He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Psalms 23:3
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 1:6
God promises many things throughout the Bible. Time and time again however, one main promise is given; God can and will forgive us and keep those who He says are His!
So if you’re His, i.e. you believe in your need for salvation and that Jesus Christ was the fulfilment of that need, having professed it not just in your heart but out loud –
“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
– Romans 10:9-10
…then know that no matter what lie the enemy has told you, no matter what you have done in the past or even today, God still has a mercy and a love so great for you that NOTHING can separate you from Him. Nothing! So let this be an encouragement for you today as it is right now to me, to turn from your sin, to wipe the tears from your face, to look away from your problem, and instead shout and praise and worship the God who loves you more than you will ever know!
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:35-39
3. Because he LOVES us.
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”
Ephesians 2:4-5
GOD LOVES YOU!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
– John 3:16
Ultimately, God is forgiving and merciful towards us because He loves us. Before we knew Him and loved Him, he first loved us.
“We love because he first loved us.”
– 1 John 4:19
In fact, before we were even born…
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
– Jeremiah 1:5
Scratch that; before the universe was even created!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”
– Ephesians 1:3-5
So, to summarise?
I have had an…interesting year. Like most of us, I’ve not always made the right choice, or followed when I should have, or listened when I needed to. I’ve had my high points, by God’s grace, and my low points – also by God’s grace. I’ve stumbled once or twice, but by His mercy, His love, and yes, His grace, I’m back up and I’m still walking.
I’ve had moments when I’ve felt utterly blown away by the love I’ve received from my brothers and sisters in Christ, and I’ve felt utterly alone, as I walked through testing trials that God puts us through to refine us, mould us, and shape us into the beautiful sons and daughters of God that we are.
Yet through all that, whether I have felt it or not, God has held me, kept me, protected me, and most importantly, loved and forgiven me. Even though I don’t deserve it. Even though ashamedly, I’ve resisted it at times. Yet this God, like a loving parent holding a foolish child throwing a tantrum, has kept me through it all. That’s what I am grateful for this year, and I pray that whatever you have been through this year, that you would be strengthened and encouraged by this to keep persevering and fighting the good fight.
“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!…”
– Romans 7:24-25a
Beautiful piece 🙂