If there’s one concept I’ve been learning a lot about lately, it is the mercy of God. We are all products of His mercy. Mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone, especially when the person is in the wrong.
Understanding God’s mercy
Based on the definition of the word, wherever you see mercy, compassion is hanging around somewhere. It is impossible to show mercy without compassion. God is compassionate, that’s why we can receive mercy.
A person must first be compassionate before they can be merciful. Compaasion often moves a person to be merciful. Recall John 3:16 which says for God so loved the world (compassion) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (mercy).
God is merciful and His mercies are everlasting. His mercy is upon all of His creation (Ps. 145:9). Sometimes, it may not look like it, but even disappointments could be a display of God’s mercy (2 Sam. 12:1.25).
Who needs God’s mercy?
We all are beneficiaries of God’s mercy, still, we all need God’s mercy. There may be a few Pharisees who think they don’t need God’s mercy because they do all they’re meant to do, as required in the law but the truth is they stand only because God has shown mercy.
In Lamentations 3:22 the scripture tells us that it is of the mercies of the Lord that we have not been consumed, because His mercies endure forever. Evil is lurking around each day but the only reason it hasn’t consumed us is because God has shown us mercy. We fall short of God’s glory every day but we have not been destroyed because of God’s mercy. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us –that is mercy. (Rom. 5:8)
Without the mercy of God, we would be well on our way to perdition. If God had not shown us His compassion and forgiveness, we would have never understood what it means to enjoy the grace of God. We would have been working for our own salvation –a pointless labor.
Romans 9:16 tells us that it is not about a person’s will or effort but God who shows mercy. This means that sometimes, a person can work hard for something and things will still not go as planned. Yes, there is a place for diligence but there is also a place for God’s mercy.
Ultimately, we are saved because God showed us mercy. Now, I ask again, who needs God’s mercy?
How do we receive the mercy of God?
The scripture is clear about how God shows mercy. It is totally up to God to decide whom He will show mercy or not (Rom. 9:15). But I recall the portion of scripture that says if earthly fathers will not give their child a stone when they ask for bread, how much more the Heavenly Father (Matt. 7:9-11).
If we ask for God’s mercy, we will receive it. During Jesus’ earthly days, we saw a display of this ask-and-receive relationship. Jesus was passing through a place and Bartimeus happened to be there then. This man was blind from birth and he recognized that Jesus, the only one who could save him, was passing. He began to shout at the top of his voice “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me”. Bartimeus cried out for mercy, despite the opposition, stirring Jesus up. The day did not end before he received his miracle (Lk. 18: 38-41). With a humble and sincere heart, if you cry out for mercy to God, He will give you.
In Hebrews 4:16, we are encouraged to draw near to the throne of grace to obtain mercy.
Also, showing mercy to others brings you more mercy. Jesus said blessed are the merciful for they shall recieve mercy (Matt. 5:7). The more you show mercy to others, the more it comes back to you.
“With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
2 Samuel 22:26 ESV
What do with the mercy you have received
There are only two things to do as a beneficiary of God’s mercy; appreciate that mercy wholly and extend it to others. If you truly appreiciate God’s mercy, you would not go about jumping into the same things He saved you from. Moreover, you will express your gratitude daily (Ps. 89:1).
Luke 6:36 says, Be merciful even as your Heavenly Father is merciful. It is not an appeal. It is a mandate. If we are beneficiaries of God’s mercy, the only sensible and permissible thing to do is to show others mercy as well.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Peter 1:3 ESV
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