O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalms 136:1 (KJV).
The quality and characteristic of God's mercy is that it outlasts time and is not constricted by human failure or sin.
The same God who was merciful to Noah and his family to remember His promise (Genesis 8:1) is the same God today. Psalms 136:23 says, "Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:" (KJV).
Grace may be God's enabling favor to help us live a holy life but it's His mercy that deals with our frailties - where we are and how we live - so that we can be changed. Jesus tells of a tax collector "...standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner." (Luke 18:13, KJV). This man went home changed! Jesus declared him righteous because he had humbled himself before God.
And perhaps this may be the one restriction to receiving God's mercy: pride.
If we remain arrogant, self-assured and unyielding we will know little of His mercy. Mercy finds the one who in the lowest estate and lifts them up because an inner work of humility has destroyed the works of pride. When we come to the end of ourselves, God can start to deliver and restore us.
And for some who are waiting on God's mercy to help them through some of life's difficulties, begin to praise Him for His mercy. Read Psalms 136. It recounts His mercy time and time again through Israel's history. Rather than recite our failures and shortcomings recall all the good things God has and is doing.
Learning to live in His mercy when our hearts and minds feel the least deserving takes faith. The enemy would rather keep us in a low state of condemnation and guilt but God wants to lift us up and out of that pit. His mercy is transformative making us completely different when we rise to our feet - just like the tax collector.
For some, it's time to confess you can't live this Christian life without Him.
And it's time to ask for fresh mercy.
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