Day 17: The Mercy of God
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” – Matthew 5:7
Not long after the Israelites fashioned a golden calf and broke the first commandment, God told Moses to make two new tablets of stone, just like the ones Moses had broken after discovering Israel’s idolatry. And the Lord passed before Moses and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness[.]” (Exod. 34:6)
Even after the most grievous and blatant sin that His people could possibly have committed, God re-affirmed his mercifulness. God’s mercy is greater than our sin. Whereas God’s grace (or unmerited favor) is something that is “lavished” upon the undeserving, God’s mercy is a choice not to hold their sins against them. This is precisely what He extends to us upon faith in Christ, our mercy seat! Jesus is the mercy of God because it is in Him that our record of sin is wiped clean. We are no less sinful than the Israelites, and yet God is no less merciful today than He was in the wilderness!
After identifying himself as the worst of sinners, the Apostle Paul confesses, “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” (1 Tim. 1:16) When God extends mercy to those who cry out to Him in faith, He turns us into instruments of divine mercy. By our lives and our testimonies, we declare to the world how merciful is our God!
Prayer:
Holy Father, Thy wisdom excites our admiration, Thy power fills us with fear, Thy omnipresence turns every spot of earth into holy ground; but how shall we thank Thee enough for Thy mercy which comes down to the lowest part of our need to give us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and for the spirit of heaviness a garment of praise? We bless and magnify Thy mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. – A.W. Tozer
Response:
How has God shown you mercy in your life lately?
In what areas of your life do you need to confess your sin to the Lord and plead for His mercy?