Listen to devotion

Key Verse: “For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.” Deuteronomy 4:31

Mercy is perhaps one of the most defining qualities of God, and without it none of us would be here, nevermind able to enter heaven. The Bible is full of phrases such as “to be merciful, ” “to have mercy on, ” or “to show mercy toward.” Mercy is integral to understanding God’s dealings with us.

Mercy is defined not only as an act of forgiveness and compassion but as not giving us what we deserve, whereas grace is God giving us something we don’t deserve.

Ephesians 2:4-7 says, “God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

Mercy is not merely begrudgingly letting someone off the hook for wronging you. Mercy is a purposeful act of reconciling two parties. Micah 7:18 teaches us concerning the vast mercy of God saying, ‘Where is another God like you… You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love.’ It actually pleases the Lord to show mercy to people like you and me because he is a God of mercy.

Having been shown great mercy, we ought to be more merciful to others. Knowing that God is merciful and has forgiven us our sins, surely, we can forgive those who have sinned against us and show them mercy.

Furthermore, God’s mercy for the believer isn’t just a single one-off act. Psalm 23 gives us the assurance that, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of my life.” Whatever situation you’re in today, you can rest in God’s mercy.