God of Mercy
In uncertain times, God’s grace and mercy shines brighter. Our Voice Alex shares.
Like most people I look at the events unfolding in front of our eyes: Earthquakes in Haiti, Japan, New Zealand; escalating situation in the Middle East; world-wide economic volatility and can’t help but think about end times. Actually the one thing that I think we can all agree on is that we are living in unprecedented times…
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In the past few weeks a lot of people (myself included) have been worrying about what’s to come and “what does this all mean” and “when will the next big event happen”. Then something hit me a few days ago. “When” and “what” are almost irrelevant questions. There’s only one thing that I know for certain: one day, sooner or later, I will stand face to face with my Creator and we will have an honest conversation about my life and what I’ve done. That is the only certainty. As for thinking about dates and prophecies of times, well, I don’t know how beneficial that is. And anxious and apprehensive about it is honestly pointless. Here’s what I’ve learned: My God is a God of mercy. I am unworthy and I am here by His grace. Period. Let me elaborate:
I was reading through 1 Kings the other day and read the story of King Ahab. King Ahab does not have a very good track record – actually many would consider him the most evil king of Israel. He (like many of us today) struggled with inconsistency in character – at times he was very bad, yet other times he displayed real humility before God. He married Jezebel – a Phoenician princess who was nothing but bad news. Her powerful influence over him, along with his actions, contributed to his legacy as being “Ahab the son of Omri, [who] did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him”. Nevertheless, there was ONE event that blew my mind away, and that is the reason why I say that My God is a God of mercy.
God was not happy with Ahab. Actually, he was very upset. So upset that He directed the prophet Elija to give him some truth - some really hard truth:
‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood.” (1 Kings 21:19)
‘Behold I will bring calamity on you. I will take away your posterity and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel both bond and free.’ (1 Kings 21:21)
That’s some pretty terrifying things to hear, as it is essentially death! Painful death. What was surprising to me is Ahab’s reaction:
‘So it was, when Ahab heard those words that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning.” (1 Kings 21:27)
Yes, Ahab had countless faults, but if there is something we can learn from him, it is his attitude of repentance. This is especially important in times like these. I am a sinner, as are all of us, but we can confess our sins and repent. The best thing about this is that God the Father in heaven already knows about us being sinners, and He sent His son Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that we don’t have to. Repentance, belief and living in accordance to the word of God are keys to our salvation.
Let’s go on and take a look at what is truly amazing – God’s Grace. After God notices Ahab’s attitude, He sends His word to Elija saying:
“See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days.. In the days of his son I will bring calamity on his house” (1 Kings 21:28)
Praise God. Here’s what I learned from God:
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God is very serious. He sees our actions, He sees our hearts. Nothing is outside of His domain and knowledge.
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He is also full of Mercy and Grace. Because Ahab humbled himself before the LORD, God literally change the course of his future.
(Yes, it may not be the happiest ending like in the movies, but that’s not because God didn’t want it to end well. NO! It’s because Ahab was inconsistent and he did not choose God in the long run.) -
God loves His people and wants a happy ending for them. Because of that, He sent His only Son to die for our sins so that we don’t have to.
So this is honestly the best news I have received all week. In the midst of uncertainty, unparalleled events, major calamities and media scares, my GOD is my rock and my salvation. So what do we do with this good news?
Well, St. Paul in his defense in front of King Aggripa breaks it down:
“but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout Judea and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works benefiting repentance” (Acts 26:20)
These 3 things are not mutually exclusive but must happen at the same time. For example, we can’t be repenting, turning to God and living “unGodly” lives. No. They are all inter-dependent and are keys to our salvation.
Praise God for His Truth, His mercy, His grace, His son Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. Praise Him for His patience with us and for His kind heart.
May He have mercy on us and keep us safe and walk with us in salvation.
Be encouraged – our God is a God of Mercy!
God bless you.
