Oh Mercy

Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name… he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

Psalm 103: 1, 10

I sat in Bible study one evening, during a time in my life I was struggling with obedience to the Lord in a particular area. Experiencing the cycle of sin, regret, asking forgiveness, and then continuing to regret over and over made me weary.

The verse for the evening was James 2:13b which says, Mercy triumphs over judgment. As my group discussed this topic, I felt the Lord’s peace come over me. I sensed His love and His Mercy as He reminded me that it was my heart He wanted. Not perfection.

Shame and guilt fell away. A renewed energy and resolve filled me with joy. Paul reminds us in Romans 2:4 that it is God’s kindness that leads us toward repentance. This is so true.

I saw this truth play out as a teacher when I had a student lie about something he had done. With patience and love, I shared with him that I noticed how much energy he was using to deny the truth when it would be so much easier to say, “You know, I did it, and I’m sorry.” Then he might have some consequences, but it would all be over soon, and we could move on. “We all make mistakes, even me, and I have to apologize, too,” I told him. He confessed the whole truth after that. If I had dealt with him in anger, I doubt he would have been honest.

The Psalmist reminds us in our passage today that this is cause for us to praise the Lord! When I think about how beautiful it is that the Lord deals patiently and lovingly with me, my heart overflows. We don’t deserve His mercy, but He gives it to us anyway.

Thank you, Jesus, for paying the penalty of our sin so that we can experience kindness and mercy when we least deserve it.

Johna Clemons