“O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.”
Daniel 9:18
“Oh no! I forgot about that! Now, this situation has occurred too. I wasn’t expecting this! I’m not prepared! What am I going to do now?”
Ever been there?
An unintentionally missed house payment.
A needed self-care moment which dipped a bit into the savings account.
You splurged on a special date with the hubby or friend, now the car won’t start.
The list of examples could go on and on. Maybe you could even add your own experiences. I think it’s safe to say we’ve all been raised with the idea that if we do right we’ll be rewarded and if not, we’ll suffer the consequences. Right? And, that’s absolutely correct. Even sin brings with it death according to the Bible. It’s a fact.
This week I blindly stumbled into such a situation and I found myself frustrated, a bit angry with myself and certainly perplexed. I also learned this week a deeper revelation and understanding of the mercy of my God. I might add that I was VERY humbled also.
I adopted a new definition for grace recently - aggressive forgiveness. I thought that summed the word up better than any other definition I’d ever heard before. It was quite an eye opener and has given me quite a different perspective.
Today I learned a new take on the word mercy.
Yes, I’ve always heard it was God’s unmerited favor. That was good enough for me. But this week, when I was in such a dire need, my eyes were opened wider on a personal level.
The funds I needed weren’t there and there was absolutely nothing I could do to remedy the predicament. I’m sure you know about those moments —
sometimes we try to be our own Savior instead of relying on THE Savior?
There. Was. Nothing. I. Could. Do!
I realized I had made some unwise choices and now I was beating myself up for it…and would have to pay the consequences. All the voices in my head were scolding me for being foolish and exercising bad stewardship. How had I gotten myself into this mess?!
“Yes, that’s the truth. I didn’t make the right choices. I deserve to be in this position. I’ve put myself here!” I understood it all perfectly.
BUT I needed help! God-sized help too!
<ENTER MERCY> stage right
Mercy…gentle compassion.
I can’t do anything to earn it.
I surely don’t deserve it.
God gives it just because it’s within His character to do so,
because I’m His child, and
simply because He can. Period.
The same God that can be aggressive with His forgiveness when giving us grace is also a gentle giant when administering His mercy. Great news for a knucklehead like myself! I realized this week that when I’m down to nothing and it’s going to take a miracle…God is rich in mercy and upon Him I can depend. He’s bigger than any situation I might find myself in. Praise the Lord!
There’s just something about trudging through the mud and being desperate that makes you appreciate God’s mercy more than ever before. Just to think, He desires for us to rely upon Him like that too! He even provides moments like these to open our eyes and teach us concepts we thought we already understood…but now on a deeper, more personal level. But, oh my goodness! I had this same process concerning trusting Him when my son left this world.
I prayed fervently for God’s mercy on my situation. Others prayed along with me. God did what He is famous for.
He is SO faithful and far better to me than I could ever deserve! I’m so thankful He is my Savior when it comes to salvation AND my Savior when I cannot fix things on my own and I fail to do my part. That’s the merciful God I serve!
I’m not saying we don’t have to pay the consequences of our actions and decisions, please understand that. There is a merciful Savior who has our best interest at heart. He’s full of grace AND mercy.
I just wanted to write this post to share with you the goodness of God and my story of His mercy this week. I wanted to give you an opportunity to look at situations in your own life through different lenses. We aren’t required to do everything perfectly and when we mess up, He can teach us AND still save us from ourselves. Then, we can worship Him, learn and grow, and testify to others about His mercy that we can do absolutely nothing about. Just like I’m doing here.
<ENTER MERCY> stage right
Thank you Lord, for opening my eyes and coming through for me. I am humbled and so blessed!
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