Mercy. It’s Something to be Thankful For.
If you wrote down what you’re most thankful for, you could likely create a top 10 list. But what if you drilled deep into your soul? Would you rewrite your list and put mercy at or near the top?
Let’s suppose you cheated on your boyfriend or girlfriend, stole money from your roommate’s wallet or lied to your boss. Or what if your behavior was much more heinous than these examples – and worse, was a recurring offense? Even though you sincerely regret and feel ashamed of your actions, you’re too afraid of how the people you’ve wronged will respond if you come clean.
- What personality traits in the offended person would make it easier for you to confess and ask their forgiveness?
- And what could the person you wronged do in response to your confession that would help you make better choices in the future?
What about going to God after we’ve sinned against Him? Doesn’t God’s nature (or at least the way we perceive His nature) influence whether we choose to confess our wrongdoing to Him? And doesn’t our perception of God affect our ability to trust Him to help us overcome temptation next time?
It’s easy to misperceive how God feels about us when we struggle. We’re so convinced He’s disappointed in us that we avoid Him and remain in our sins, or we try to change without His help. God hates sin and how it destroys us – and generously offers mercy and grace.
Have you experienced God’s mercy and grace?
Read Hebrews 4:16 (ESV):
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
I love picturing the throne of grace. Sometimes, I shed tears in gratitude when I think of all the times God has forgiven me.
Consider how wretched our lives would be – how wretched our very self would be – if we couldn’t go to our heavenly Father when we feel like a failure and are at our weakest. Think how long our sleepless nights would be if God withheld His loving presence when we desperately needed to experience His nearness.
Hebrews 4:16 invites us to approach God’s throne with confidence. While we are in His presence in search of mercy, let’s also ask for grace to approach those we’ve betrayed, stolen from, lied to – all those we’ve wronged. Once we’ve come clean to those we’ve hurt, we can walk away from our shame … and experience mercy a second time.
Mercy. It’s something to be thankful for.
What about you?
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this post. (Your comment might also benefit others.)
- How wretched would your life be if you couldn’t go to your heavenly Father when you were at your weakest?
- How has God’s mercy changed your life?
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Have you experienced God’s mercy and grace?
Enjoy reading your Blog it was interesting and made think of my own life God is good
Hello, Robert. Thank you for the compliment. It’s always encouraging to hear God is using me. Please pray for me as I continue to write.
And WELCOME to Today Can Be Different, Robert. I hope you stop by often.
Grace and Mercy from our Lord should be the first things in our thankful list! I’m glad that you wrote this devotion, as I absolutely love that we can approach our Father’s throne of Grace confidently, knowing that He will forgive and forget anything, even if it seems horrendous to us. “‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” Jeremiah 32:17 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 Thanks Sheryl!✝️
This is a beautifully said, Kim. Thank you for your lovely comment, filled with scripture glorifying our Savior!
Thank you for writing such a thought provoking column. As a new Christian, I am learning the concept of being able to “… go to our heavenly Father when we feel like a failure and are at our weakest.”
I have enjoyed watching how God is working in you since you’ve accepted Jesus as your savior, Elizabeth! You are a blessing!
To be candid, I, as one who has been following Christ for decades, am still learning to go to the Throne of Grace quicker!
I love you, dear friend.
And I always love reading your comments at Today Can Be Different.
I’m still a Catholic but I had a born-again experience that enabled me to experience the Trinity in such a personal way. Your Hebrews 4:16 verse selection is one of my favorites. So many of my Catholic brothers and sisters feel so unworthy to even think that they might go to heaven. Pray for me to reach out and share! And I like that the verse ends with “find grace to help in time of need.”
Hello Carlos! I became born again while attending a Catholic prayer meeting on the LSU campus. Though I no longer attend Catholic services, I thank God that he used those beautiful Christ-followers to lead me to the Truth of God’s saving grace. I will pray for you, Carlos, as you reach out and share with your Catholic friends.
(It’s always nice seeing you at Today Can Be Different!)
Good morning, In WOW group you asked to write a thank you letter to God, this is the most important gift I am thankful for. I was prompted in thinking of this as I read your Apalach Times article this morning about needing help praying for spouse instead of listing all the annoyances. Praying , the Spirit convicts me of my wrong perspective , I end up be grateful . I imagine God could be annoyed with all my faults too. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift of Jesus, death on the cross and forgiveness of my sins.
Good morning, Teresa! I love your comment. Thank you for following through on the (suggested) journal assignment I gave last month during our Women of the Word group. I agree. Mercy is an amazing gift from our loving heavenly Father.
Also, I relate SO SO SO much with the middle section of your comment. Let’s pray for each other!