At His Mercy

"To you I lift up my eyes,

O you who are enthroned in the heavens!

Behold, as the eyes of servants

look to the hand of their master,

 as the eyes of a maidservant

to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the LORD our God,

till he has mercy upon us."

Psalm 123:1-2 ESV

Life is fragile, brief and oh-so delicate.  One minute I'm here, the next my life is a distant memory.  As the prophet Isaiah reminds me, "All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.  The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass."  (Isaiah 40:6b-7)  No matter how secure I may feel, how much effort I put into preserving my life, I am completely at the mercy of God; only He knows my fate.

Whether I recognize it or not, my life is in God's hands, a good place to be once I accept it.  When I submit to His sovereign power, the way I live my life will change.

Servant.  A slave has no life of his own for he is bought by a master.  Therefore, he must do his master's bidding while being completely dependent upon him for his provision. Every moment of his life is spent focused on the will of his master.  The moment he became a slave, his own rights and liberties went out the window for now his attentions must be trained on fulfilling the wishes of the one who owns him. 

Likewise, once I realize I am a servant of God's and submit myself to His loving, gentle Spirit, I will no longer cater to my own needs but look to His plan for my life. It will no longer be about me and my desires, my rights, my freedoms but rather about my Master's preferences.  What is it that He wants from me in this moment?  What is His will for my life?  How can I best represent Him in the way I respond to this hardship?

As one who is at God's mercy, I consider myself His servant, bought with a price so I can honor Him in the way I live my life (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Maidservant.  She exists to assist her mistress, tending to her every whim and desire.  A maidservant must also be ready at any moment to spring into action.  When her mistress calls, whether it be first thing in the morning or in the middle of the night, she is expected to be prepared to perform any task necessary to please her mistress.

In a similar way, I can think of myself as a maidservant, taking on the qualities that make a helpful attendant.  It's easy for me to put certain parameters around what I'm willing to do, or the times I'm available for service, but if I'm to be truly submitted to God and His will, it will mean I must take on the mindset of a maidservant.  It is for Him and His glory that I exist, but I can rest easy in the knowledge that He will never take advantage of my subservience.

As one who is at God's mercy, I consider myself His maidservant, ready and willing to accomplish whatever He calls me to do whenever He calls me to do it.

God-focus.  Servants are entirely master-focused.  In order to do their job successfully, and thus preserve their life, they must learn to set aside their own wants and desires and keep their eyes trained on the one for whom they work.  It takes humility to submit to such selfless service.

While God does not force me to submit to His will, doing so promises much blessing and building up of a storehouse full of treasures in heaven.  It may not seem a very prestigious position to hold, but in God's upside-down, backwards system of values, the meek shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5) and anyone who wants to be considered great must be a servant (Matthew 20:26-28).

As one who is at God's mercy, my focus must be trained on God and His will.

It can be scary to put myself at the mercy of another, especially if I'm not sure if they can be trusted with my life.  When it comes to God, however, I can place my life in His hands, knowing without a doubt that He will not take advantage of me nor fail to provide for every need.  Therefore, I can operate as His servant who has been bought at a price, a maidservant who is always ready to do His bidding, and maintain a God-focus instead of putting myself and my rights first.  In these ways, being at God's mercy is a very good place to be!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God with every part of my life.

When do I promote myself, thinking I'll never amount to anything unless I defend my rights and stimulate my own success?

How do I fail to make God's will my top priority?

      

At His Mercy

"If it's a question of strength, he's the strong one.

If it's a matter of justice, who dares to summon him to court?

Though I am innocent, 

my own mouth would pronounce me guilty.

Though I am blameless, it would prove me wicked."

Job 9:19-20 NLT

Who can stand before God?  Who is His match?  Can anyone claim righteousness?

Job knew.  He understood that even though He feared God and took Him seriously, his best was no match for God's holy standard.  It overwhelmed him, driving him to the depths of despair. Who can stand before Him (Psalm 143:2).  Is there any hope?

Even though Job couldn't see it, God was at work on his behalf, and while it feels scary to be at the mercy of such a powerful, sovereign and holy God, it's right where we want to be.  How do I know this?  Because of Jesus.

My High Priest.  Only the high priest could enter into the Holy of Holies once a year and sprinkle the blood from the sin offering on the mercy seat (Leviticus 16).  In this way, atonement for the sins of the nation of Israel was made.

Jesus, using His own blood from His own sacrifice, stands before God as my own High Priest.  He secured my atonement through the sprinkling of His blood on the cross, unleashing the forgiveness of God, for God cannot extend grace and mercy without a blood sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22, Leviticus 17:11).

This means that without Jesus I have no hope of being reconciled with such a righteous, holy God.  I can never be good enough and no matter how hard I try, I can't reach His standards (Romans 3:23).  Even though God is loving, gracious and merciful, He cannot ignore or deny His righteous, just and pure character.  Simply put, He needs a blood sacrifice to atone or offer redemption for my sins.  Jesus, through His death and resurrection, offers absolution from my sins and entrance into the presence of a holy God who loves me lavishly (Hebrews 4:14-16).

I am entirely without defense before an impossibly perfect God, but Jesus serves as my High Priest, giving me free access to His rich storehouses of mercy and grace.

My Redeemer.  Job lived righteously.  Isaiah was willing.  David loved God freely.  You'd think these pillars of faith would have reason to stand boldly before the God they served, yet each were painfully aware of their sin when in His presence (Job 1:1,Isaiah 6:6, Psalm 51:3-5).  

Coming before God makes me all the more aware of how far I fall short and how offensive are my ways to Him.  In comparison to His perfection, my sin feels even more dirty and shameful.  

Jesus, using His own blood as a cleansing agent, washed away my sins, making me to appear before God as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).  Even though my sins are highly offensive to God, the blood of Jesus completely covers them, delivering to me the righteousness of Christ as my own (Philippians 3:9, 2 Corinthians 5:21).  This is not to say I am now declared perfect, for I still dwell in this sinful nature in a fallen world, yet God no longer sees my sin but only the perfect blood of His Son.

I am entirely without defense before an impossibly perfect God, but Jesus serves as my Redeemer, giving me a righteousness I otherwise would never attain.

My Source.  It seems I have to try really hard to do good things for God.  I often believe I must know all the answers to give an explanation for the hope I have (1 Peter 3:15).  If I want to make a difference for Christ in this world, I have to work hard.  Right?

Wrong.  Jesus is my source.  It is only when connected to Him that I will be able to do anything of eternal value (John 15:5).  He is the One who transforms me and works through me, enabling me to speak truth, extend love, and share grace(1 Corinthians 15:10).  It is He that finishes what He started (Isaiah 55:11, Philippians 1:6). I am simply a conduit of His grace.

I am entirely without defense before an impossibly perfect God, but Jesus serves as my Source, giving me all that I need to live for Him.

It is overwhelming to realize my spiritual bankruptcy before a God who has very high expectations.  In the face of such perfection, I see how unrighteous I truly am.  Thankfully, there's Jesus.  Through Christ I have a High Priest who makes atonement for me with His blood, a Redeemer who cleanses me and presents me as holy and righteous before God, and a Source who delivers all that I need to live a life pleasing to God.  Even though I am at the mercy of God, I need not fall into despair because great is His mercy through Christ!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can always stay connected to the Source.

When do I go it alone?

How am I sometimes desperate to impress God with my efforts?

New Thing

"With the coming of dawn,

the angels urged Lot,

saying, 'Hurry!

Take your wife and your two daughters who are here,

or you will be swept away when the city is punished.'

When he hesitated,

the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife

and of his two daughters

and led them safely out of the city,

for the LORD was merciful to them.

As soon as they had brought them out,

one of them said,

'Flee for your lives!

Don't look back,

and don't stop anywhere in the plain!

Flee to the mountains

or you will be swept away!'"

Genesis 19:15-17

The tears rolled as she, her husband and girls fled the city.  Her heart was in that wretched place!  As much as there was evil found there, she also discovered much good.  There were friends she adored, memories she cherished and places she treasured.  Life was enjoyable in Sodom and she hated to leave.  What would happen to all her friends and her favorite haunts?  How could God be so cruel?  These people weren't so bad!

Suddenly there came a horrific sound, like that of a million droplets of water sizzling on a giant hot pan.  The noise grew in intensity and she imagined she could even feel the searing heat on her back.  Her beloved Sodom!  What was to become of it?  Without thinking, she looked back over her shoulder, curious to see her home one last time.  It would be her final act before her flesh turned to salt.

When God rescues me from destruction, like he did to Lot and his family, it is important that I fully receive His mercy.

Don't Hesitate

I walked out to the end of the platform as the butterflies fluttered unfettered in my stomach.  Reaching the edge, I gasped as I saw how high I stood above the surface of the water.  The longer I stood there, the more my feet seemed to be cemented to the diving board.  Would I ever be able to jump?

The best way for someone who is afraid of heights to jump off the high dive is to walk straight out and take the plunge, without hesitation.  The more time there is to think, the less likely I am to jump.  This is similar to the practice of trusting God.  If I pause, vacillating back and forth between doubt and faith, the odds that I will stay in my disbelief are high.  My best chance at walking forward in faith is to move without thinking.

When God lets me know, then, that the pastime I love so much has become an idol in my life, it's best that I immediately let it go without thought to what I will miss.  Or when it is made clear to me that I am to change jobs, walking in faith means I will take purposeful steps toward making that new career a reality without wasting time on a list of pros and cons or in gathering advice from friends.  Or when He stops a ministry dead in its tracks I can go along with His mysterious plans even though it doesn't make sense to me.

I must trust God enough to let go when He says it's time to move on.

Don't Look Back

There was a lot I was going to miss but the hardest thing about moving was in leaving behind the people I had grown to love.  Every time I thought of it the sobs would come.  Soon I would find myself dwelling on the memories of times we had spent together, lessons they had taught me, and bonds we had formed.  How could I leave?

My problem with all the times the Army moved my family from one place to another was that I focused my attention on what I was leaving behind instead of anticipating all that God had in store for us.  He reminded me of this lately through the prophet Isaiah who said, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" (Isaiah 43:18-19a)

Whenever God calls me on to something new, I can believe that it will be good.  God is the giver of all good things so I can trust Him in the great unknown. (James 1:17)  After all; He is already there paving the way for me.  As I place my life into His hands, recognizing that He is the sovereign Lord over all creation and bowing to His plan, He will make plain the path He has for me to walk.  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I must trust God enough to look forward with anticipation to all that He has prepared for me.

Don't Tarry

She did as her mother bid, but it was obvious her heart was not in it.  The pre-teen's shoulders slumped, her head drooped and her feet dragged as she walked toward the garbage can.  The bag of trash she held in her hand scraped across the driveway, threatening to break open.  While the girl obeyed in action, her spirit was far from compliant.

I can hold this same kind of attitude when it comes to God.  He calls me to something I either don't want to accomplish or I feel completely incapable of handling.  I step out in faith, but my heart doubts the outcome.  I go through the motions, thinking I'm answering God's call, but my attitude is poor to say the least.

Instead of dragging my spiritual feet in this way, I can focus on the faithfulness of God to create a plan of prosperity and hope for my life and in His willingness to equip the called, giving Him a chance to work through me as I rest in His arms.  When I pay more attention to my own plan and my subsequent disappointment in it's demise, however, the worse my frame of mind becomes. In addition,  the more I focus on my own inabilities, the greater my insecurity grows.

I must trust God enough to not tarry in my obedience to Him, either in attitude or action.

God loves me and often rescues me from destruction by moving me forward.  When He does so, it is important that I not hesitate in carrying out His instructions, avoid looking back toward what I am leaving behind, and not drag my feet in obeying Him.  In these ways I'll be able to embrace the new thing He is doing in my life!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to let go of that which He is taking from my life.

When do I hold on to that which is no longer good for me?

How am I dragging my spiritual feet? 

Arrogance of Assumption

"Now listen, you who say,

'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city,

spend a year there,

carry on business and make money.'

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.

What is your life?

You are a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes.

Instead, you ought to say,

'If it is the Lord's will,

we will live and do this or that.'

As it is,

you boast in your arrogant schemes. 

All such boasting is evil.

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do

and doesn't do it,

it is sin for them."

James 4:13-17

It is easy to count on that which may not happen.   Pastor and writer John Piper once challenged my arrogance of this kind of assumption when I heard him say that I shouldn't be surprised when someone dies.  Instead, I should be amazed when I am blessed with another moment to live.  

If I am to live as if my life is not my own, as disciples of Jesus are called to live, then there are some basics I must accept. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Life is a Gift

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."  

You may recognize this familiar phrase as taken from the Declaration of Independence.  Americans rely on such rights as members of a free society where our liberties are vital to the welfare of the people.  This right to life extends also to the unborn, whose claims to life have been taken away in the country since 1973.  While God upholds the sanctity of life, I'm not sure that He would agree with the assertion that I have a right to live.

You see, life is a gift.  Every breathe I take is only at the mercy of the Giver of life.  He is the only One with a right:  The right to give, and the right to take. (Exodus 33:19)  He decides the length of my life, and only He knows how long I have left. (Psalm 139:16)  Life is fragile and is completely in the hands of God.

Once I comprehend and accept this truth, I will begin to live differently.  Instead of wasting the time God has given to me, I will look for ways to honor Him and glorify His name in all I do.  (Colossians 3:17)  As a replacement for taking all the good things I have for granted, I will adopt an attitude of thanksgiving.  In the place of living recklessly for myself I will begin to give my all for Him.  

Instead of assuming I'll have tomorrow, I desire to live each day as if it were a gift from God; because it is!

God is Sovereign

My plans were all laid out.  I would graduate from college and use my degree to build a fulfilling career.  After that, maybe I would get married and have children, but that wasn't high on my list of priorities.  As I look back the thirty years that has passed since I graduated from high school when my head was filled with such thoughts of the future, I realize how wrong I was about how my life would turn out.

Instead of building a fulfilling career, I became an Army wife and mom of four daughters.  I would never trade the life I've lived, but it was not the life I would have ever chosen for myself.  Thankfully, God knows better and He has a plan for my life that I could never imagine.  (Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 3:20)

Once I comprehend this truth and let God be in the driver's seat of my life, a peace will flood my heart as I stop trying to find my own blueprint for the days I have left.  

Where once I would try so hard to be the person I thought God wanted me to be, I will find I can move forward onto the path He has cleared for me, free from the self-imposed pressure I place to become someone I was never destined to be.

Instead of working so hard to fulfill my own strategies, I can wait for God to reveal the way He wants me to go.  

Living like I believe that God is sovereign will mean I can stop trying to impress Him and as a replacement simply live in relationship with Him.  He loves me as I am; and He loves me more than I can imagine.

Instead of assuming I am in control, I desire to live each day out of obedience to the One who holds the blueprint for my life.

Obedience

We've all seen it:  The expert dog trainer whose own 'best friend' is out of control.  Or the exercise instructor who can't complete his own workout regime.  Or the financial planner who is going through bankruptcy.  Knowledge is all well and good, but what good is it if I can't apply it to my own life?

Learning more about God by reading His Word is not just to grow my brain size.  Studying the Bible is not so I can retain more knowledge about God.  Rather, spending time sitting at the feet of Jesus as He teaches me His ways through the study of His Word is so that I will take what I have learned and apply it to my own life.  (James 1:22)

If I am not willing to do what I am told, can I really consider myself to be a disciple of Christ?  Instead, it is more like I am an observer, or a student.  A follower, however, is one who does as her leader does.

When God shows me about His compassion, it is so that I will realize my own lack of mercy and forgiveness toward others, seeking instead to extend grace liberally wherever I go.  When God shows me about His rest, I can either find it interesting or I can strive to enter into the rest that comes with trusting Him, putting His Word into practice.  When God shows me about His claim on my life, I can choose to continue to live my life my way, or I can surrender all to Him as my Redeemer.  

Instead of assuming that I can continue to live as I always have, I desire to live each day in obedience to what He is constantly teaching me.

It is all too easy to take things for granted and assume what I should never believe.  Instead, I can live with the understanding that life is a gift, God is in control, and that obedience is important.  In these ways I will avoid the arrogance of assumption.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will never count on that which is out of my control.

How do I assume I'll be here tomorrow in the way I make my plans?

When do I brush off the lessons God is teaching me?

His Great Mercy

"O Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,

O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness;

therefore you are feared."

Psalm 130:2-4

"We do not make requests of you

because we are righteous,

but because of your great mercy."

Daniel 9:18b

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong to deserve all this trouble!"

"I must have really gotten on God's bad side recently because I'm having the worst day!"

"It's one thing after another.  I can't understand why my life is so difficult!  What did I do to deserve this?"

If the circumstances of my life truly depended upon my own worthiness or righteousness as I sometimes think, I would not last another moment.  God never gives us what we deserve: if He did, as the psalmist said, "Who could stand?" 

Instead, the Lord is a God of mercy.  He withholds my rightful treatment, instead drawing me to Himself in a relationship of love.  There is nothing I can do to earn His love.  I can never be good enough to enter into a relationship with Him.  I have no hope without the mercy of God which is best shown through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ my Lord!

His Nature

Toward the end of his life, David took a census of all his fighting men, putting his trust in his might instead of in God's.  As a result, God gave him three choices for punishment through the prophet Gad.  Famine, being chased by his enemies, or a plague.  David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress.  Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men."

The judgement of God is just, but He mercifully does not treat me as my sins deserve.  For this reason, it is always better to leave my life in the hands of God rather than men who may be having a bad day and decide to annihilate me.  God never acts out of spite, irritation or frustration.  His actions are deliberate and always with the goal of lifting up His great name and restoring my relationship with Him.  He acts with perfect justice and love.


Since I am a human being, I have very little experience with mercy.  Instead, I am used to others taking their frustrations out on me.  I am accustomed to getting the short end of the stick.  I am familiar with the back of the proverbial hand. Cruel, ruthless behavior is commonplace in my world.


To be fair, I am not always on the receiving end of unmerciful actions.  Many times I give exactly what I think someone deserves.  If I had a 'smite' button, I would have incinerated many-an-irritating driver, especially during rush hour traffic.  Then there are the moments when I secretly hope that the woman who is always so nasty to me will get what's coming to her.  I am merciless.


There is no human example of mercy that I can look to for enlightenment.  It is God's nature to be merciful, and until I know this, I will not be able to fully trust Him as David did.   David had no right to ask for leniency or favor.  He knew he had gone against God in relying on his own might instead of God’s.  But David was familiar with the nature of God and understood that His mercy is great.  In throwing himself at the mercy of God, he was showing God how much He trusted Him.

In the same way, I can show God my reverence and appreciation for Him and put myself at His mercy; not because I deserve it, but because I know Him.  I trust Him enough to place my very life in His hands. 

Given that it is God's nature to act mercifully, I can trust Him fully.

Undeserved

Just a few more days, and then I can leave this fugitive lifestyle, she thought as she jumped the ditch and darted into the forest.  I can't let my brother go hungry.  He's just a baby!  She contemplated the sentence of death that awaited her if she was caught as she jogged along, being careful not to draw the attention of nearby residents.  Finally, she made it to the hollowed out tree that had become their home, stolen merchandise firmly hidden in her pouch.

"Here, I got your favorite; bread and apples.  God ahead, take it!"

I must find some milk, or he won't grow strong and healthy.  "I'll be right back.  I'm going to that family's barn on the other side of the meadow.  It's milking time and I should be able to sneak a ladle or two.  Fresh milk!  Doesn't that sound good?"  The boy looked at her listlessly. He's getting weaker. 

As she rounded the corner of the barn, the king's horses stood pawing at the ground.  To her horror, the ruler himself sat upon his steed.  Oh no, I'm dead meat!  I've been stealing food from all over the kingdom!  Desperately, she threw herself face first in the dirt.  "Have mercy on me, Oh King!"


In the above scenario, the girl knew she was in the wrong, even though her reason for living the life of a thief was noble.  In the face of the supreme judge of the land, there was nothing she could say in defense of her actions.  Her best chance for survival was to place herself at the king's mercy and hope that he would allow her to survive.


Maybe part of the reason that I don't truly accept God's mercy is that I don't understand the depths of my sin.  Because of my disobedience to God's law, my nature that is contrary to God's, and my pride that is an affront to Him, I deserve death.  Like the girl, my punishment is well-deserved.  


In the confession of their sins as a part of a time of worship during the time of Nehemiah, the Levites gave an account of the unfaithfulness of God's people.  They constantly turned their back on God and His ways.  God punished them and then they would inevitably cry out to Him.  He would save them.  They would become comfortable and forget Him again. . .and the cycle went on; disobedience, warning, punishment, repentance.  The worship leaders end this historical account with the statement, "But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God." (Nehemiah 9:31)


I am completely at God's mercy, whether I know it or not.  I cannot stand on my own two feet, so heavy are my transgressions.  John Donne, 17th Century English poet and priest, put it this way: "We are God's tenants here, and yet here he, our landlord, pays us rents--not yearly, nor quarterly, but hourly and quarterly; every minute he renews his mercy."


God's mercy is undeserved, but necessary for my continued existence.

Sovereign

The trickster received the blessing while the firstborn received more of a curse, destined to live an impoverished, brutal life.  One was loved, the other hated.  One was chosen, the other cast away.  


Jacob did not deserve to receive the blessing meant for his older twin brother, Esau.  He had shown himself to be a deceptive, selfish young man.  Still, it was God's good plan for the younger to take the older's place. At their birth, God let Rebecca know that the older would serve the younger, but it had nothing to do with either of their characters, abilities or worth.  As it is explained in the New Living Translation of Romans 9:11, "This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works."


It is God's choice who receives mercy.  If you are reading this blog, it is most likely that you have been called according to His purposes and were chosen to become a part of God's family.    As such, each breathe you take is according to His mercy.  If He lets you live another moment, it is because of His mercy.  If you can stand before Him, it is because of His mercy.  


I recently heard a story about a young woman who did not believe in God.  She suddenly went into a coma and remained unconscious for eleven days.  During that time, the One whom she previously disregarded spoke to her, saying, "It is not yet your time, my child."  


Needless to say, the first thing this woman did when waking up was to thank God for His mercy.  Even though she had completely ignored all the good He had given to her and had earned death, He had planned for her to live a little while longer.  She now lives for Jesus.


In the same way, "In his great mercy he has give us new birth into a living hope. . ." through faith in Jesus Christ.  As He rose again on the third day and now sits at the right hand of God, so I will live eternally in His presence.  I neither deserve this nor expected this, but God extended this gift anyway.  It is His choice.


God's grants His great mercy according to His plan.




The mercy of God is unfathomable.   Due to His merciful nature, an undeserving people are chosen to be a part of His plan, paving the way for life; abundant, everlasting life.  Then I can truly say, "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." (1 Chronicles 16:34)

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will remember that I am at the mercy of God.


How do I take life for granted, failing to savor the moments He has give me?


When do I expect things I neither deserve nor earned?