Relentless in Mercy
Natalie Williams has written a set of daily devotionals for Inspiring Women Every Day that cover the month of May, and focus on the theme of mercy. Below is a sample (to sign up for email or paper copies for the rest of the month please visit: Inspiring Women Every Day | Waverley Abbey Resources).
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'His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning' (Lamentations 3:22-23)
If you are anything like me, it can be relatively easy to believe in the mercy of God that reached out to me on the day I was saved, but much harder to believe that He still delights to show mercy to me now that I am a Christian who still sins and makes mistakes. Somehow, I find that I regularly fall into the trap of thinking that I should know better now, and therefore God’s mercy is subject to how well I am performing as a follower of Jesus. But the Bible is very clear that God’s mercy is dependent on Him, not me. In fact, the apostle Paul says I am ‘foolish’ when I start to believe that my ‘works’ can earn God’s grace (Gal. 3:1).
God is merciful to me because it is who He is. His mercy does not wax and wane according to my behaviour. Mercy, by its very nature, is undeserved, unmerited, unearned. If I had a right to it or any claim to it at all, it would not be mercy.
We are told repeatedly that God’s mercy is unending. Just look through Psalm 136 in the New King James
Version to read over and over again that ‘His mercy endures forever’. God has new mercies for us each day. I know that I need new mercies every single day!
With the coronavirus pandemic, I have been more aware than ever that nothing around me is certain. Our whole world can change in a moment. But God’s mercy is steadfast – we can depend on it completely. It is fresh for us each day. As the author of Lamentations writes, ‘this I call to mind and therefore I have hope’ (3:21). My hope is not in anything within me or around me. My hope is in His relentless mercies, which never come to an end and are new every morning.
For prayer and reflection...
Thank You, Father that You have new mercies for me every single day as I walk with You. Please help me to grasp afresh that I can depend on You and have hope. Amen.
