Mercy In The Midst Of Madness

Mercy

In The Midst Of

Madness

Text: Ps.61: 3-4; Ps.103: 2, 4-5; Isa.41: 13

Intro: Last night, as I bowed my head in prayer to God, I began to share with the Lord the burdens that were weighing heavily upon my heart. It was not long before hot tears began to flow down my face, as I poured out my soul before the Lord. But in the midst of my crying out to God, His Spirit started to bring certain scriptures to my mind.

In the course of my prayer, I confessed to God that I was afraid. Almost immediately, the Holy Spirit brought to mind Psalm 56: 3, which says, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Like lightning, Isaiah 41: 10a came to mind: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God…”

Again the tears came, as I reveled in the mercy and grace of God that would move Him to speak to my heart so personally, even though I had vacillated all week between fear and faith, between adoration and anxiety and anger. God knew just what my aching heart needed, and He graciously met my need.

Following the advice of Henry Blackaby, in his Experiencing God workbook, I stopped praying, and turned to Isaiah 41 to see if there was anything else that God wished to reveal to me from that passage. My heart began to soar as the Holy Spirit applied each word directly to my circumstances. What a thrill it was to experience such a wonderful encounter with God. What an amazing gift it was for the God of the universe to speak so personally and tenderly to me, as friend to friend.

There is no way I can relate to you the intimacy I experienced with God, last night; nor would I try. However, I want to share with you some of the truths the Lord shared with me. God wants you to be aware of His “MERCY IN THE MIDST OF MADNESS.”

Theme: The mercy of God is revealed in this passage by:

I. GOD’S DECLARATION

A. God Assures Us That We Are His Servants.

Isa.41: 9a “Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant…”

NOTE: [1] Sometimes I feel like a miserable failure, as far as the ministry goes. Perhaps, by the estimates of some, I am a failure. All I can say is that it helped me when the Lord spoke to my heart and assured me with the words, “Thou art my servant” (Isa.41: 9a). It was as if God was saying to me, “It doesn’t matter how it may look to you right now. You are My servant, and I’m going to use you for my glory.” Someone once stated: “I really cannot give you the formula for success. But I can give you the formula for failure. It’s this: Try to please everyone” (Source Unknown).

[2] Paul apparently came to this same basic conclusion. He came to realize that he should not be concerned with gaining the approval of men, as long as he had the approval of God; for he was God’s servant. Paul put it this way:

I Cor.4: 3 “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.

4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.”

B. God Assures Us That We Are His Selection.

Isa.41: 9b “…I have chosen thee…”

John 15: 16a “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit…”

NOTE: [1] Folks, to be personally selected for a great task is an honor. To be chosen from among many others for an honored position makes one special. But to be chosen to be the servant of God makes one special indeed. The Lord has chosen every child of God, to be His servant. Therefore, we must be careful to do what he has chosen us to do. What have we been chosen to do? Paul answers this question with these words: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (II Cor.5: 20). The bottom line is simply this: We are God’s representatives; which makes us responsible only to Him. Rejoice in the fact that God has personally chosen you to serve His purposes.

[2] Out of all the choices that God could have made, he chose you. Never forget the significance of His choice. You were not the only choice He had available.