Dec. 21: Mercy by Helen Clark
Mercy ….the Hebrew word is “hessed” often thought of as an act of lovingkindness to answer the suffering of others, a steadfast love to others.
I’m certainly no biblical scholar but, I see mercy running throughout the Bible from the beginning of time and to prevail through the end of time.
I offer that the first act of mercy may have occurred in the Garden of Eden, Genesis 3, when God had mercy on Adam and Eve, by clothing them when they disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Mercy. I believe that this is where we begin to see how mercy for others is to be an important part of our lives.
Take a look at the famous children’s story of Jonah and the whale. While it is a familiar story there is a lesson of mercy that we should see in the way God deals with Jonah and his disobedience. While Jonah ran from God and had great anger towards the Ninevites, God in His mercy didn’t turn away from Jonah. It’s through Gods mercy that Jonah was eventually saved from himself. Jonah 4:3 God also showed mercy to the Ninevites once they changed their evil ways and turned back to God. Mercy and lovingkindness.
Just as God never holds back His mercy from each of us, we are responsible to be merciful to others, even those that we might struggle with. Because God created each of us He knows what we delight in, as well as what we struggle with. In James 2:13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you. So now the question becomes, how do we extend mercy to others?
Jesus begins to tell us some of the ways that we should be generously offering mercy in the gospel of Matthew 25: 35-36. ‘For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me, I was in prison, and you visited me.’ These scripture verses are usually thought of as relating to the final judgement; however, I view these commandments as a model of mercy and compassion for others. Every one of us can find opportunities to generously offer mercy through these words.
I encourage you to seek to find ways to alleviate the suffering and needs of someone during this season of Advent. Mercy is a fundamental character of God that He extended to each of us when He sent his son Jesus to reconcile us back into right relationship to Him and redeem us from our sins. Consider asking God to incorporate into your daily life ways to be more merciful to others.
Prayer;
Lord God as we live through this season of Advent, and ponder all the ways that You have modeled mercy for us, place a desire within our hearts to be merciful to all, as You have been merciful to us. From the beginning of time until eternity, Your word serves as the guide for all the ways that we can be merciful every day of our lives. May we never forget that the mercy bestowed on us is without end. Grant us opportunities and situations to be as generous.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
—Helen Clark