How to Get Mercy

How to Get Mercy

“The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)

 Did you ever stop and think how little you deserved God’s love?  When I have a particularly bad day that began when I said something mean about someone because of what they did, I thought for a second, “Why did I say that?” Then I listened to gossip about someone who had sinned and was in trouble. Did I pray, “Lord, be merciful to that person,” or did I say, “They deserved what they got?” It seems we are so ready to condemn others when we, ourselves, rely on God’s mercies?  

                                                                                                                                                               As Christians, we don’t often see the sunshine for the clouds.  There was a time I had been going through a period of self-condemnation and I came across a scripture that has taken hold in my heart.  God’s mercies are new every morning!  I may have had a bad day today, but when I wake up in the morning, God’s mercies begin afresh.  I know I can count on that.  This scripture continues on by telling us that God’s faithfulness never ends and His mercies never stop.                                                                                                                                                                                                            King David in the Old Testament, so loved by God, was not the perfect person.  He was the one that killed Goliath, the Giant, and did many great things for Israel.  When he became King he had the greatest power in the land, he got himself in big trouble with God.  The King developed a great lust for a woman, the wife of Uriah, the Hittite.   Eventually, the King had Uriah killed in battle so he could take Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba for his own. Terrible times came to King David who finally repented.  In Psalm 51:1 he prayed to God, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.” 

 Remember this, God’s loving kindness and tender mercies are there for you.  Going on to the New Testament, in 2 Corinthians 1:3, we are reminded that God is “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.”   God never changes and if you have sinned in the past, know that God is the same today as he was in times past.  He is always ready to forgive you even day by day and every morning.  Each day when you open your eyes, you can know for sure, if you are truly sorry for whatever was done in the past, you are forgiven because God’s mercies are new every morning.                                                                                                                                                                                                           Listen to this, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”  Colossians 3:12-13 (NLT) if you know someone you’ve be angry with and have never forgiven them or showed any mercy for, you are in trouble with God. He tells us in Matthew 6:15, “But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”                                                                                                                                                                                     Remember how much God loves you. “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease.”   He has shown you mercy when you don’t deserve it.  Can’t you show others the same mercy?