“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 

God’s mercy stems from His steadfast love (‘chesed’in Hebrew) for His people. Knowing there was nothing we could do to earn our way into His presence, God revealed His love and mercy towards us by giving us His only Son who suffered and died for our salvation. This is the focus of our meditation and celebration during Holy Week and Easter!

Defeating death, Jesus opened up access to God for us. Through prayer, God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit living in us, each day brings fresh expressions of mercy. Every morning, God is faithful, even though every day, we fall short. Mercy is God’s gift to the repentant heart.

God’s mercy is closely related to forgiveness and what we do in response to God’s mercy is all-important. A repentant heart that loves God will surely be evident by the lives we live and sends an important message to the people in our lives.

God has chosen to be merciful to His people. Mercy is an expression of who He is, and His love for us. The benefits of God’s mercy include peace, love, and joy. None of this comes naturally to us without the love of God in our hearts.

When we are merciful to others, it brings joy to their hearts and ours. When we submit to His merciful ways, we choose to acknowledge peace. Apart from Christ this is impossible.

Our natural tendency is to act in sinful, selfish ways; it is only with a transformed heart that we can truly be merciful toward someone else.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”  Matthew 5:7

Mercy allows us to experience love, forgiveness, compassion, peace, and joy, whether we deserve it or not. Can we strive to see the other side of someone’s anger, offer forgiveness when we have been clearly wronged or offer love and encouragement to those lost and struggling in this world?

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for your mercy, love and compassion which is new every morning and is endless. Forgive me for my many sins and help me to receive from you a heart of forgiveness, understanding and compassion to others. Help me not to be bitter or angry but to receive and give mercy. I am so grateful for your promise of forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Will you daily create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Amen