His Mercy Endures Forever!

Mercy! Apparently that's a word that falls easily from my lips. My husband says I awaken many mornings and say that before I am fully aware. It probably comes from teachings I received in my younger days about calling on mercy and grace...shouting "mercy!" to troubles and problems.

Yet, I have lived much of my life not appropriating mercy in my own life. I made decisions and then, if there were consequences of these decisions with negative affects, I would blame myself and feel as though God would not help me out of those circumstances. After all, I brought them on myself by some hasty or till-thought-out decision. Therefore, I reaasoned, I should have to bear the consequences and not beg nor expect God to bail me out. Sounded reasonable. Left me defeated.

Recently some changes in my life have been plaguing me. Some are related to decsions made with good intentions, but perhaps, not of the best choice. Other changes caused by other people's decisions were leaving my heart torn apart.

So, we were singing in church about the mercy of God. His mercy is forever...He is good...etc. I was worshipping, yet struggling to keep my mind off my problems and pain. Suddenly, it was like God said to me, "Mercy is favor you don't deserve in the first place, so why are you rejecting it because you think you deserve the consequences you are facing? Are your decisions powerful enough to over-rule my mercy?"

Wow! I had not thought about the fact that by hanging on to my pain and fear, I was actually rejecting the mercy of God. I don't deserve His intervention! But it is not because of the decisions I made, but rather just because of my humaness, and Jesus chose to over-rule that a long long time ago! I could have made better choices and still not have deserved God's mercy! That's precisely what mercy IS! Undeserved favor and grace! I cannot earn His mercy! If I could, it would no longer BE mercy!

Yes, God is good...ALL the time...and His mercy endures forever! AMEN!