The Lord is Merciful
Day 1 of our 40 Days of Mercy Fast
‘Bring your ear close to My heart, forget everything else, and meditate upon My wondrous mercy.’ (229)
God’s greatest attribute is Mercy. It is the foundation of who He is; it is the way He wants to deal with us. In truth, Mercy is the only way we can know God. Through Mercy, God realigns His troubled, off-track and much loved child with Himself. The Creator unites Himself to the creature through Mercy.
Throughout this fast, our central meditation will be upon Jesus, God’s only Son, who together with His Father gave everything to gain us. The Cross conveys Mercy more clearly than anything else.
Yet the Cross flows from the Mercy God demonstrated to us from the start.
My friend Bob Sorge writes: ‘When God appeared to Moses on Sinai and spoke His name to Moses, the first thing out of His mouth was not ‘I am holy.’ Rather He revealed Himself as ‘the Lord, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.’ (Ex. 34:6)
God is Merciful at the very foundation of His being. ‘Oh how great is the mercy of God; it surpasses all His other qualities!’ (611)
That I or anyone lives in ongoing, ever-deepening communion with the Creator and Redeemer of humanity is due to Mercy. I marvel at that fact daily. He found me! The Father, Son, and Spirit made a way for me to respond to Him. Mercy alone frees us to live out of that divine love.
Marveling on that mystery, I was confronted by a gruff (and buff) Maori man who managed a gym I was visiting in New Zealand. He challenged me with all the ‘house’ rules. Alive to Mercy, and prompted by the Spirit, I happily complied then blessed him with an invitation to God’s mercy in Christ.
He immediately confessed how far He had wandered after a youthful conversion. Divorce and sensual addictions had derailed him. I joyfully extended the promise of the Merciful One who awaits him. Hail God’s Mercy—our only hope for Love.
‘Open our hearts, O God, to the depth of Your Merciful heart toward us. May it overflow to all we meet. May it alter how we see You and all of life.’
‘Welcome sweetest Mercy, who pour Yourself out for souls. Welcome, Infinite Goodness, who pour out everywhere torrents of Your graces. Welcome, O veiled Brightness, the Light of souls. Welcome, O Fount of inexhaustible mercy, O purest Spring from which life and holiness gush forth for us. Welcome, Delight of pure souls. Welcome, only Hope of sinful souls.’ (1733)
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