TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. (Psalm 145:9 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• I have two weeks each year that I look at with dread. One is in mid-October, and we’re in the middle of the other one. What is it about this week? It’s like a magnet for some of the worst moments of my life and yesterday, I added another bad memory to the list when I had to have my cat put to sleep. This is a week full of moments that have caused me heartbreak and anguish. I never look forward to it. I’m not a superstitious person, but I can’t decide if God is just giving me these two particular weeks to stockpile all my bad memories as an act of mercy or just for consolidation purposes. I don’t know.
Today, let’s go to Psalm 145:9 which says, “The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.”
It’s hard to see mercy in our worst circumstances. As bad memories flood my heart this week, I realize that despite my personal hurts, God gives us mercy. And I know that God is good. Not sometimes, but all the time. On our good days, God is good. And on our worst days, God is good. And He is merciful; mercy is a key characteristic of His nature. We may not see His mercy at the time, but I know that one day, all the reasons He has allowed certain events to transpire will be made clear.
And on that day, when all becomes clear, we will understand the truth of Lamentations 3:22-23 better than ever: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Right now, we need mercy. But it’s not the mercy of an economic relief bill or statewide lockdown as NC hospitals are requesting from our governor. The mercy we need can only come from above—from our Heavenly Father.
We are all in need of His mercy. And if I can escape my fog of bad memories and our current circumstances, I can catch a glimpse of God’s mercies at work even now.
In His mercy, He is giving us family time. In His mercy, He is slowing down our crazy schedules. In His mercy, He is giving us opportunities to remember Who should be most important.
Most of all, He is mercifully giving His church an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus… to revisit how to worship anywhere and anytime… and for those who haven’t accepted Him yet, He is mercifully giving them another opportunity to recognize their need for a Savior. God is mercifully giving the world another chance for revival.
Today, as you pray, thank God for His mercies. Thank Him that they are always there, even when we have to look a bit harder to find them. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you lean on His mercies on your good days, your bad days, and all the ones in between.
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Download a free Bible-In-A-Year Reading Plan when you subscribe! Join an online prayer group at www.facebook.com/groups/onlineandonourkneesprayergroup. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
