Written by our Lay Leader, Doug
“He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him.” Psalm 103:10-11.
These verses from the psalmist tell us of God’s incredible mercy. Mercy has been defined as “not giving a person what he or she deserves.” When we disobey God’s law and reject His will, we deserve judgment and punishment. So when we pray for forgiveness, we are asking for what we do not deserve. And God in His mercy forgives us because of the greatness of His love.
Mercy is motivated by love, compassion, and kindness. No one offers mercy to another person out of indifference or convenience. Mercy arises out of a depth of divine love, a love beyond even our self love. Paul prayed that we would be so rooted and established in love that we would have the same power as all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, to know this love that surpasses knowledge, so that we would be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:18-19)—that we would have an endless reservoir of love that moved us to be merciful to all in all circumstances.
Mercy may be performed out of a compassionate desire to relieve suffering. But God may also act in mercy to prevent suffering. We may ask God many times over for something that we believe will achieve good things for His kingdom, that will be a blessing to ourselves and others, yet we may be denied our request. We can’t understand His unwillingness to enable this that we see as beneficent and, thus, we may question God’s purpose or resent Him for not opening doors for us. But He may be protecting us from some peril that we can’t imagine or foresee. This does not look like mercy to us, yet it is. Let us not forget that we cannot comprehend the fullness of God’s love and mercy.
Since God is merciful, we are to be merciful. As the Lord’s prayer says ”…forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” If we desire mercy for ourselves, we must offer mercy to others. Yet, how often in the heat of the moment, we desire retribution or seek revenge when someone hurts us or offends us. When we withhold forgiveness from others after having received it ourselves, we show our ignorance or disregard for God’s mercy toward us.
We must constantly remind ourselves of God’s infinite mercy toward us, that we would act likewise. Think of Christ on the cross, praying “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34). We cannot fathom the love that manifests such mercy, yet we are called to be every bit as merciful as Jesus.
James 2:12-13 (NLT) says “So whenever you speak, or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law of love, the love that sets you free. For there will be no mercy for you if you have not been merciful to others. But if you have been merciful, then God’s mercy toward you will win out over his judgment against you.”
Judgment is reserved for God, but mercy is a gift of God’s love, given to us that it be generously given to others.