Mercy in Time of Need

God's mercy is everlasting. No human being is perfect, and God knows we all fall short of His glory. However, the Lord is good to all of us and is always ready to forgive us the moment we repent. God is rich in mercy and showers it abundantly on all those who call upon Him. He always loves us with His great unconditional love no matter how carnal we act (Psalm 86:5, 145:9; Ephesians 2:4).

God saves us, not by our good works, but according to His mercy (Ephesians 2:8-10). He washes us clean by His regenerating power and He renews us with His Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). Therefore, we can come boldly to His throne to receive His grace and to obtain mercy in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). He gives us a living hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3). We know that all things will work out for our ultimate good, because He loves us and called us according to His mercy (Romans 8:28).

As we live by faith in Him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12; 2 Corinthians 3:4). Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed by our debt of sin. His compassions never fail; in fact, they are new every single morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). The Lord preserves us from evil and cares for our soul – our mind, will and emotions. He protects us now and always (Psalm 121:7-8). No plan formed against us will prevail. The Lord vindicates us because He is our heritage and we are His servants (Isaiah 54:17).

God’s goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our life. We will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6). God is rich in mercy. Due to His great love and compassion, He acts to relieve our distress (Jeremiah 33:11; Ephesians 2:4; Psalm 116:5). Even when we were dead in our sins, He made us alive together with Christ and saved us by His grace (Ephesians 2:4-5).

God had mercy upon us and by His grace sent Jesus to die in our place. He spends the rest of our life alleviating the desolation caused by our sin (Titus 3:5). He calls us to this same ministry of reconciliation and mercy. Samuel recognized that, in times of distress, he preferred to fall into the hands of the Lord rather than man, because God’s mercies are greater (2 Samuel 24:14). God gives us the example and the commission to be as merciful to others as He is to us (Luke 6:36). He does not want people to fear falling into our hands. He wants us to minister in His love and in His name.

Prayer:

Lord, my soul praises You with all that is within me. I praise Your Holy Name and I never forget all the loving kindness You poured out on my life. You forgive all of our sins and You heal us from all of our diseases, although sometimes our healing comes after we join You in Heaven. You deliver us from the pit of hell and crown us with Your loyal love and compassion. You satisfy us all the days of our life with Your good and perfect gifts and You renew us with the strength of an eagle (Psalm 103:2-5).

Thought for the Day:

Since God is merciful to us, we must also be merciful to one another.
- Luke 6:36

Children - Our Heritage from the Lord

Read: Exodus 2

“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.” - Psalm 127:3

God formed each of us individually, knitting us together in our mother’s womb. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Even before we were born, His eyes saw our unformed substance and wrote the number of our days in His book (Psalm 139:13-16). I learned as a young mother that when God gives us children, it is for a short season of time. We are to dedicate them to Him as His children from the day of their birth. He loans them to us to enjoy and then He wants us to release them back to Him. We may think we know what is best for our children, but He reminds us that He is their Heavenly Father and He knows what is truly best for them.

In the Bible story of Moses his mother, Jochebed, built a bulrush basket, daubed it with slime and pitch and put baby Moses inside. Pushing it into the flags growing by the river, she sent her daughter Miriam to watch what happened. God immediately took control and floated the basket toward Pharaoh’s daughter’s bathing place. Jochebed knew that if she kept her son with her, the soldiers would surely kill him. She obeyed God and put her son into God’s hands to do what was best for him. The wonderful plan God had for Moses also included his mother. She was chosen as the baby’s nursemaid and she watched him grow up in the palace as a privileged son of the Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2).

If we are not careful, we allow our will, purpose and plans for our children to override God’s will for them. We have to remind our self to pray for our children and to understand what His will, purpose and reasons are for creating them. We need to teach our children that they each have definite gifts and callings on their lives. We can cultivate, sustain and build up those gifts and callings as we see them in our children’s lives. This way they will grow up, not to live as we think they should or how they want to live, but to fulfill God's will and direction for their lives.

When my daughter grew into a young woman, she disowned me for sharing Jesus and Bible verses with her and some of her friends. She felt that I was trying to convert them and was offended with me. People ask me all the time how I can possibly deal with my daughter’s rejection of me. I remind these caring people that humans have a soul, but once we are born again, we also have a spirit. My soul – my mind, will and emotions – do miss fellowship with my only daughter.

However, my spirit rejoices that she realizes my strong commitment to Christ and recognizes that I am not a hypocrite. I know that one day she will be encouraged and strengthened by the same convictions, which I cling to at this time in our life. Paul complimented Timothy because he shared the same faith as his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5). I look forward to the day when my daughter enjoys the same faith in Christ that her mother and grandmother do (2 Timothy 3:14-15).

God has a plan for each of our children. God fills our quiver with them and then shows us in which direction to aim them as arrows into the future (Psalm 127:4-5; Proverbs 29:17). For the glory of God, we impart to them the wisdom of Biblical precepts and knowledge (Proverbs 22:6; Deuteronomy 4:9; 6:6-9). Then we surender them to His care and purpose for their life. God teaches our children and imparts His peace into their lives (Isaiah 54:13).  Ultimately, however, we must release them into His care, protection, direction and provision (Psalm 127:3–5). Even though she does not realize it, I know my daughter is safely tucked into the palm of God’s hand.

Prayer:

Father God, lead and guide my children by Your Spirit. Teach me never to hug them too loosely or to tightly, so they will not feel neglected or fearful when they grow beyond my nurture and care. Help them to grow in Your wisdom and stature, in Your grace and knowledge, in Your compassion and love. Draw them ever closer to Your heart as they serve You with their lives in the profession and location in which You call them to function. Help them to come to the saving knowledge of Your Son, Jesus, and to live in full devotion to You. Allow their lives to testify of Your greatness and glory to all of those who know them.

Thought for the Day:

"Train up a child in the way he should go and in keeping with his individual gift or bent, and when he is old he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6 (Amplified Bible)