The Multitude of His Mercy

“But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.” (Ps 5:7 AV)

Mercy is the only hope we have!  When I consider the multitude of mercy that God has toward me, I am overwhelmed.  The only way in which I can approach God is by the multitude of His mercy.  Not just mercy, but the multitude of His mercy.  I need the multitude of His mercy because I have a multitude of sins and faults.  The more I read of His holy law, the more I realize just how evil I am.  The more I strive and fail, the more I am aware I have no right of audience with my Creator.  That is, outside of the blood of Christ.  When we approach the presence of God, it is only so because He showers a multitude of mercy upon us.  It is hard to accept mercy.  We want to condemn ourselves to the point of uselessness.  We want to crawl into a hole and never emerge because of what we have done.  We want to suffer as if that suffering will somehow erase the evil decisions we have made.  Accepting mercy requires humility.  Rejecting mercy requires pride.

Many years ago, I worked the summer with my sons as a private golf course caddie.  It was a great experience.  I would do that again in a heartbeat.  It was so much fun tending to the needs of a client.  Especially if they could play the game halfway decent.  Finding and marking balls, cleaning balls and clubs, and reading the green were awesome.  Pacing off the yardage and advising your client on yardage, wind direction/speed, and the slope of the green was totally cool.  What really made it enjoyable was when you knew that you knew the best solution for each shot and your client could make that shot.  No matter how familiar you and your golfer became, there was always an understanding of privilege versus common.  Even if we had golfing skills beyond our client, it didn’t matter.  Our golfer was a millionaire or billionaire and we were but a lowly caddie.  There were times I caddied clients younger than I.  In some cases, I was old enough to be their father.  That didn’t matter.  They earned seven or eight figures and I barely put food on the table.  Among other things, we were never allowed anywhere near the clubhouse or banquet hall.  If we got within fifty feet of an entrance, there was a stern look shot our way.  The only exception was the yearly caddie banquet.  The members would sponsor their favorite caddie and we would sit at a table rubbing elbows with the wealthiest of the county and state.  They would be dressed in expensive casual attire while we struggled to find a good pair of blue jeans.  All the rules of decorum were relaxed and the members went out of their way to make us feel valuable and appreciated.  They looked past our social status, our attire, and our manners.  They honored us with a five-star meal served by executive chefs and waitstaff in tuxedos.  It was a night to remember.

God does far more than that.  At the banquet, we sat with filthy sinners just like us.  Successful and wealthy sinners, yes.  But still sinners.  When we come to worship, the LORD forgives us of all transgressions and faults.  His mercy is extended from a holy hand that has never known sin.  Our God is the Creator who is just and righteous.  His law is holy, just, and good.  As we approach the front doors of the church, it is important to remember the multitude of mercies from our God and Savior precede us.  He has forgiven all.  He has paid for all.  He will meet us there if we only accept His multitude of mercies.  He will become very real and we will be overwhelmed by the grace showered on our soul.  Praise be to God who is far more loving and gracious than we can ever fathom!