When Others Fail You, God Will Keep You

In our lifetime we have all talked about God’s grace and his mercy. We have said it so much that it rolls off of our tongues without any power or authority. It has become so frequently that it sounds like a riddle or something from a fairytale. But I think that I need to remind someone this morning that mercy is still alive and well.

So, what exactly is mercy?

Mercy appears in the Bible as it relates to forgiveness or withholding punishment. For example, God the Father showed mercy on us when he sacrificed his son, Christ Jesus, on the Cross to pay the price for our sins.

Webster describes mercy as compassionate or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s person who has the power to show compassion, pity, or benevolence:

It means to have mercy on the poor sinner. The disposition to be compassionate or lenient: It means the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment. Mercy is an act of kindness, compassion, or favor. Mercy is something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing:

Allow me ask a question this morning, what is mercy, how do we get mercy to move on our behalf

Mercy is a love that responds to human need in an unexpected or unmerited way. In other words, we really wasn’t looking for it, and the truth of the matter is that we really didn’t deserve it.

The bottom line is mercy at its core, mercy at its primary function is forgiveness.

The Word of God tells us about the love that God the father has for sinners, and that means for every one of us, that has come short of his will.

But the scripture also relates mercy to other qualities beyond love and forgiveness. Mercy is beyond our understanding, its beyond our comprehension, it is beyond our conception, because one day God’s wrath, and God’s mercy met at the cross where we should have been lost forever, and wrath and mercy had a conversation, and wrath understood that that he had to back us so that we could be transformed and made fit for eternity thru His mercy.

Come here Paul and tell the people what you said in Ephesians 2:4-5. Well, Ephesians 2:4-5 says. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).”

David don’t leave me hanging what did you ask God to do in Psalm 51:1-2. Well, I asked God, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

I can here Micah saying please let me testify, I wrote in my book Micah 7:18, “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy.

It is so far from our understanding that when wrath showed up, mercy showed out. Mercy said to wrath, hold up wait a minute and allow me to interject here before you drop your sentence.

So, how can we begin to understand the true meaning of mercy? Well, let’s look at some at what some of the patriarchs who found themselves caught up in a situation that needed the mercies of God and what they did to obtain God’s Mercy.

The backdrop of David’s lesson here to us, is that David was asking God to remember His unfailing compassion and lovingkindness. And I need to remind somebody this morning that when you are going through your trials and tribulations that we need to ask God to remember his unfailing compassion and his loving kindness, in other words his mercy.

In verses 1 and 2 he says “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me.

This first and second verse of Psalm 25 is talking about a total surrender of our lives to God, casting all our cares upon him as the author and finisher of our faith. The first two verses are also saying that God when everything else fail I put my trust in you. When things are crumbling all around me, I put my trust in thee. When my friends and love ones don’t understand me, I put my trust in thee. When my church family doesn’t comprehend me I trust you. This verse also says, I’m pleading with you God that you don’t let my enemies have victory me.

Verses 3 and 4 Indeed let no one who waits on you be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths.