Mercy Me

God Keeps His Promises
Ezekiel 15:1-16:63

"But I will remember my agreement I made with you when you were young and I will make an agreement that will continue forever with you." (Ezekiel 16:60)

This passage of text compares the city of Jerusalem to a young innocent girl who grows into a prostitute who "trusts in her beauty." Those who know me would laugh flat out at me comparing myself to a prostitute, but just as Jerusalem, I am a sinner. Lord, forgive me for not always putting You first in my life, for forgetting to look for opportunities to serve You and Your people, help me as I try to follow You more closely and so doing appreciate Your promise given to me through Jesus.

God is Dependable
Psalm 123:1-4

"Lord, I look upward to you, you who live in heaven. Slaves depend on their masters, and a female servant depends on his mistress. In the same way, we depend on the Lord our God; we wait for him to show us mercy." (Psalm 123:1-3)

I think the examples here are not chosen by coincidence. The relationship in both circumstances is not only one of dependence as trust but also obedience. The slaves need to follow what their master demands. To me this suggests that depending upon the Lord means following His ways as we wait for His mercy. God, I need Your mercy every morning, for sins of commission and omission, sins I may not even recognize. Forgive my unknowing errors, Lord, and help me to trust and obey Your will for my life always.

God Doesn't Remember
Hebrews 8:1-13

"I will forgive them for the wicked things they did, and I will not remember their sins anymore." (Hebrews 8:12)

Forgive and forget... so the saying goes, but do we ever really? So many times people will be in an argument and at that moment choose to bring up, "Well remember when you...?" Most often it is something that person has offered to "forgive," but bringing it up (especially in a circumstance designed to hurt that other person) shows it hasn't really been forgiven... or at least that it hasn't been forgotten.

God, on the other hand, "forgets" our sins. He won't bring it up, remind us of our downfalls, that time when I hurt someone's feelings, the wound I didn't mend, the stranger I passed by on the street, the visit I didn't make, the letter that went unwritten, etc. When I think of myself, I find it ever amazing that God extends His abounding mercy to a sinner like me. I have fallen short so many times: Lord, You forget it all.