Mercy | Daily Devotional

The Lord is merciful and gracious,    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.9 He will not always chide,    nor will he keep his anger forever.10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,    nor repay us according to our iniquities.11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;12 as far as the east is from the west,    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.13 As a father shows compassion to his children,    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

Psalm 103:8-13

The Webster’s Dictionary definition of mercy is “kind or forgiving treatment of someone who could be treated harshly; kindness or help given to people who are in a very bad or desperate situation.” God’s mercy has provided forgiveness for us who are in a desperate situation because of our sin. 

As I sat writing this blog and trying to think of a clever story to make it more interesting, I heard, “Oh no!” from the next room. It was followed by, “I don’t think you want to see this.” I did not. There was spinach-green smoothie splattered all over the beige carpet. Honestly, some harsh words did come to mind. But taking a deep breath, I just said, “Good thing I am thinking about mercy right now.”

Mercy in action

In the Bible, the word used for mercy can also be translated as “compassion” or “kindness.” In fact, there is a verb form of the word compassion that we do not use in our modern speech. A. W. Tozier in The Attributes of God says that “God’s compassion leads Him to actively ‘compassionate.’” This type of compassion is not simply a feeling; it results in action. God’s mercy moved Him to sacrifice His own Son for our salvation. As First Peter 1:3 puts it, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Those shown mercy can share mercy

Back to the smoothie on the carpet -- it is a trivial example, but remembering God’s mercy towards us should help us show compassion to others. In Matthew 18, Jesus tells the story of a servant who is shown mercy and forgiven a great debt.  Instead of showing mercy to others, he immediately demands payment from someone who owes him far less. This is not the example we should follow. We have been shown abundant mercy; we should be merciful to others. 

Lord, thank you that you hear us and answer us out of your great mercy. We are amazed that a holy and good God has reached out to us with the sacrifice of His own son. Help us to love mercy and extend it to those around us.