God’s Mercy
Mercy is a verb. Mercy is an action word. We don’t use the word mercy this way - but in bible times that is the meaning of the word. God’s mercy is God’s goodness in action.
Mercy means to stoop down in kindness to someone who is inferior, someone small and in need of help. Look at this picture of a dad helping his son. The father comes down to the son’s level, and gives help. God, our Father, comes down to our level to help us. That is mercy!
Mercy means to have pity on someone and to act in a way that helps them. Mercy includes the love needed to fix the problem. God’s mercy means that He sees our problem and He cares about us so much that He takes action to help. Mercy is not just feeling sorry for someone. Mercy takes action!
Mark 6:34, 37 “When He went ashore He saw a great crowd, and He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things…. Give them something to eat.”
Jesus saw the crowd was confused and lost. He pities them, He feels badly about their situation, and then He acts to fix the problem. Jesus teaches them the truth that will give them hope and help. Then, He tells the disciples to feed them too. Jesus doesn’t leave us needing help. He actually helps!
Psalm 34:17 “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”
God knows we need help. He acts to help us.
God’s mercy didn’t come into being when man sinned. Mercy is part of God’s infinite (no beginning and no ending) being. God has always been merciful and will also be merciful. God doesn’t change.
Lamentations 3:22-23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Does God stop being merciful when a non-believer dies and goes to hell?
As humans we have a hard time understanding how God’s mercy never changes. God is merciful, even as He judges sin.
Ezekiel 33:11 says, “As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live”.
Every single person receives God’s mercy. Since “the wages of sin is death”, we should all be dead immediately (or never even born!). God’s mercy gives all men life on earth. God is postponing His judgment of sin. He is showing mercy in delaying judgment because “The Lord is... not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God is waiting. That is mercy. God hears our cries. God sees our tears. God knows our troubles and He acts to help us. Mercy cannot cancel justice. God is both completely merciful and completely just. We may not understand how it works, but that is our limited ability to understand. God is God. There is no conflict between God being just and God being merciful. Both are equally true and right in God.
How has God shown you mercy?
Getting to know God in relationship:
How will you talk to God differently and read His word differently because of this attribute?
Written by Wendy Wood, CHCC counselor