Hope In Mercy

“Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.” (Ps 33:22 AV)

 

This is not to say God will not show mercy where faith is weak or absent.  He does.  He does so all the time.  The fact that God refrains from immediately judging the wicked is a good indication that God shows mercy even to those who have no hope in it.  However, there may be times when God shows mercy according as we hope in it.  He may not show mercy if mercy is not hoped for.  Mercy not hoped for also goes unclaimed.  If there is no hope of mercy, then the one who needs it will not seek it.  On the other hand, if mercy is sought and believed, then mercy is often granted.  What struck me this morning is unclaimed mercy.  There may be mercy stored up for the child of God that goes unused because we lack faith in that mercy that we desperately need.  For whatever reason, even if the word of God promises mercy, there might be a part of us that does not believe mercy can apply to us.  Therefore, it sits on the shelf, unused and unclaimed.

There is a story of an Indian village that ached for the return of a young brave.  As a young adult, the brave committed an unforgivable act.  He had a history of being in a lot of trouble.  He gave his parents must heartache.  He would steal from other families.  He would refuse to work equal to his ability.  He would leave and wander the woods for days on end without letting the lodge know where he would be.  This young man would visit neighboring tribes and steal from them as well.  This brave struggled with alcohol and was more of a drunk than a contributing member of the lodge.  He was a handful.  One afternoon, while shooting a target, he shot and killed the chief’s horse.  This was a serious matter.  Brought up on charges that could end his life, it was clear this brave was remorseful.  The chief was his own father and seeing the pain on his father’s face was too much for him to bear.  His father would be the one to have to sentence him to death.  He could not bear this thought.  So, one night while awaiting trial, this brave escaped custody and fled the territory.  Thinking he had saved his father from embarrassment and pain, this young brave grew older and more secluded.  Away for more than a decade, he simply thought he had committed an unpardonable sin and would never return to the land of his ancestry.  Over that time, the chief’s horse had been replaced fourfold.  As far as tribal law was concerned, the matter was settled.  Word was sent to the offender.  The debt had been paid.  He was free to return.  His father had forgiven him and wanted him back home.  The thing was, this brave knew how deep tradition ran and even though the words of the messenger were encouraging, he felt his tribe would never forgive him.  He died alone and under a cloud of self-condemnation because he could not bring himself to believe those who once condemned him now wished to show mercy.

God has open arms.  He will show mercy to any and all who seek it with a humble and contrite heart.  The LORD seeks to transform the lives of all who will believe He can do so.  There is no one beyond His ability to convert.  There isn’t a soul He created that cannot be transformed into the image of His Son.  No matter the record against us, He can glorify us.  No matter how long the list of charges was, by the blood of Christ, it is all gone.  No matter how far from the holiness of God we live, God can, and often does, transform the sinner into something that glorifies Him.  There is mercy to be had.  All we need to do is believe He desires to exercise it toward us.  In order to have forgiveness of sin, we must believe He will forgive.  In order to have a transformed life, we must believe He is capable of changing it.  In order to live a life that pleases God, we must believe that by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it is possible.  His mercy is rewarded according to our hope.  So, hope thou in God.