If you were to drill down deep into your soul, what are you most thankful for? Would mercy be near the top of your list?

Let’s suppose you cheated on your boyfriend or girlfriend, stole money from your roommate’s wallet or lied to your boss. What if your behavior was much more heinous than these examples – and worse, was a recurring offense? You sincerely regret and feel ashamed of your actions. You want to come clean, but you fear their reaction.

What personality traits would the offended person need to have that would make it easier for you to go to them to confess? And what could they do in response to your confession that would help you make better choices in the future?

These questions are even more important as we decide whether to go to God when 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 it affect our ability to trust Him to help us overcome temptation next time?

We often have misperceptions of how God feels about us when we’re struggling. We’re so convinced He’s disappointed in us that we choose to remain in our sin, or we try to change on our own. God hates sin and the way it destroys us, yet he generously offers 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 wonder if we appreciate the throne of grace. Can we ever thank God enough for His mercy? 

Think how wretched our lives would be – how wretched our very self would be – if we couldn’t go to our heavenly Father when …

• We’re at our weakest. 
• We feel like a failure. 
• We most need to experience his loving presence.

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. So that 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 do you think? 

• 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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