“God, have mercy on me” may be one of the most powerful prayers a person can say. So many people are yet to discover this. Today’s blog post will explain God’s mercy to you and hopefully, you see why it’s such a powerful prayer.
One of the reasons why I believe praying for the mercy of God should be a major prayer point is because…
Not every problem we get into is orchestrated by the enemy. Some are just a pure implication of an action or inaction. The thief on the cross is one good example (Lk. 23:39-43). I don’t know to what extent this man stole or what he stole. What I do know is that his theft must have been so serious to warrant death by crucifixion. Furthermore, he was no doubt on his way to perdition. He deserved what he was getting. It was only right that he bore the consequences of his action. But then Jesus comes into the picture and he obtains mercy from Him. Though the thief is not rescued from the cross, we are told that he is assured entry into paradise. That is mercy.
“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.”
Lamentations 3:22 KJV
One thing the mercy of God does is that it exempts you from punishment you deserve. Judging by our nature before Christ, the only thing that should have been awaiting us is destruction. However, in Lamentations 3:22, we are told God’s mercy is what has kept us from it. Because of God’s mercy, we received salvation and instead of eternal destruction, we have eternal life. In life, knowingly or unknowingly, we would make decisions that could put us at risk. It is only through God’s mercy that we can be saved from the repercussions.
God’s mercy may come in the way you least expect
Sometimes, the mercy of God comes in a way we can’t tell. It is only in retrospect that we realize what it was. All of Joseph’s ordeals were–though unconventional, yet–neccessary steps for him to get to destiny. When he was in the pit, he may have asked for God’s mercy to return home safely. But instead, that mercy sent him to Egypt; the place where he eventually fulfilled destiny. (Gen. 37-50)
In your Christian walk, you must be able to trust God wholeheartedly. That is the only way you, like Joseph, will be able to believe in whatever situation you’re in, the mercy of God is being made available.
God’s mercy comes with forgiveness
Now, you probably thought these two words meant the same thing but they don’t. While they can be used interchangeably in some cases, they have different meanings. Forgiveness talks about letting go of resentment or anger, while mercy talks about pardon from punishment. There are situations where we see one without the other. An example is when your parents punish you for doing something wrong just to ensure the lesson sinks in, not necessarily because they’re still angry at you for it. That’s forgiveness, not mercy. In the same vein, there are times when we decide not to pay someone back for what they did wrong but the anger still sits in us. Even though we showed some form of mercy to the person, forgiveness wasn’t really present. God’s mercy comes with forgiveness. As He pardons, He lets go of the anger. (Jer. 3:12; Psa. 78:38)
Therefore, go and give this message to Israel. This is what the LORD says: “O Israel, my faithless people, come home to me again, for I am merciful. I will not be angry with you forever.
Jeremiah 3:12 NLT
Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.
Psalm 78:38 NIV
The Bible tells us of a certain prodigal son who demanded for his inheritance, left the house and blew the whole of it. He later came to his senses after he had suffered a little. Guess what? Even before he came to his senses, his father was waiting for him to come home, not to spite him but to welcome him. He already had the apology speech he wanted to present but his father couldn’t care less. It was enough that the son had returned home. Like the other son, we may be thinking “at least the father should have scolded him or asked him a few questions”. But to the father, to God, forgiveness comes first. When God shows a man mercy, forgiveness comes first. And not only does He forgive the person, He reinstates the person as well. (Lk. 15:11-32)
God’s mercy is at His disposal
In essence, God can choose what He wants to do with His mercy.
I am aware that God says in Exodus 33:19 that He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy. But I am also made to know that He says in Matthew 7:7 to ask and it shall be given. You cannot cajole or whine or bribe God into having mercy on you. What you can do is to ask Him. You can cry out with a loud voice in sincerity, like blind Bartimaeus or mutter from the depths of your heart in humility like the Publican in the temple…just make sure to ask (Lk 18:38; 13). We receive God’s mercy when we ask for it, not from a place of entitlement but from a place of dependence.
God’s mercy is readily available to those who believe
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16 KJV
Jesus has given every believer access to the throne of grace. We don’t need any other go-between other than Jesus. We can now approach God’s throne of grace and obtain mercy. Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we received that opportunity.
Prayer: Oh God, please have mercy on me.
Further reading: https://faithplus.blog/2024/06/28/gods-mercy/
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