God's Great Mercy

                The Lord is sovereign in his mercy and grace. This means that “he gives mercy to whom he will give mercy, and hardens whom he will harden” (Rom. 9:18). None deserve mercy; all deserve to be hardened. Mercy is the sinner’s hope and plea – “Have mercy upon me, O God, a sinner.”

                Some cringe at hearing about God hardening the heart, but our depraved sinfulness should quiet us. How can we hear – “The heart is deceitful above all things, desperately wicked,” and accuse God? We should cringe at our own filth. How, why would God show mercy to such vile sinners? Why would he look upon us with pity while we were spitting in his holy face?

                More pointedly, why would he give up his beloved Son and judge him in our place? We were his enemies, and yet he set the price of our redemption to be the precious blood of his Son. And the Son willingly, lovingly laid down his life for us. He, too, delights in mercy. God has bound his mercy to his Son. “Whoever believes in him shall not be condemned.”

                God’s mercy is the song of heaven. However much we fail in personal holiness and witness bearing, praise God for his mercy. We are not saved by our works or our progress, but by God’s sovereign mercy and grace.

                Sovereign mercy received by faith in Christ is the best motivator of obedience. When we stand in awe of mercy, we lose stomach for sin. Show me a Christian who begrudges obedience or is angry at being told to obey the Lord, and I will show you, at least for the moment, a soul who has forgotten a bleeding Savior.

                One day, our hearts will be more in awe of God’s sovereign mercy. We will not ask questions like, “Why did the Lord harden that person’s heart, or not give mercy to everyone?” Instead, we will ask with amazed hearts, “Why did he show mercy to me?” All my sins screamed, screamed for judgment, for the fires of hell to consume me forever, to be separated from any hope of mercy, yet Jesus Christ obeyed and bled for me? He was beaten to death so I could be forgiven? He stood before the HOLY, HOLY, HOLY God and Judge and answered for our crimes? The angels cannot bear to look upon God’s holy face, yet the Son endured the gaze of the just Judge – and satisfied every claim.

                Praise God for his mercy! Sing and wonder and praise! Mercy is the believer’s joy in every season. Mercy makes the soul smile, for the cross is mercy’s pardon. Forgiven! I can face the day with confidence not that I will do everything right, but that my Father is merciful. Even struggling, God will not forget to show mercy. He cannot forget his Son’s sacrifice. He cannot forget us.

                Expect God’s mercy to change you. Humility and love are the first two rays of mercy’s sunrise in the soul. A merciful spirit soon follows. “Be merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:36). Christians look at other sinners with pity and forgive when they are sinned against. They do not seek a pound of flesh but share a ton of mercy. They forgive as they have been forgiven. If we have a quarrel with any, we forgive (Col. 3:13). Yes, we try to work it out and to live at peace, but we always forgive.

                Never forget God’s abundant mercy (Eph. 2:4). He loves us and delights in mercy. His mercies are always fresh. His mercy will “follow us all the days of our life.” He has chosen us in Christ to be vessels of his mercy. He will never withdraw his mercy from us. Sing and rejoice, believer! His mercy will never fail you. His mercy will forgive your every sin, pull you out of every pit, and bring you home to heaven.