The Beautiful Gift Of Mercy
See what the Bible says about God’s mercy and how His lovingkindness, compassion, and covenant faithfulness are part of His divine character.
Lately, my prayer life has been filled with pleas for mercy. When I’m feeling especially vulnerable or unsettled, I don’t just ask for my Father’s grace, I ask for His covenant blessing of mercy too. What is God’s mercy? It’s one of the most beautiful and holy truths to understand.
To begin, I have to admit that I can never fully comprehend the measure of God’s mercy, any more than I can fully understand His perfect character. Mercy is who God is. There is no limit to it because it flows directly from His heart toward His children.
A Short Hebrew Lesson
In Hebrew, the word for mercy is CHESED (pronounced khe’-sed). It is one of the richest and most meaningful words in all of Scripture. The Hebrew word for mercy appears more than 341 times in the Bible, underscoring the importance of mercy and lovingkindness to God’s character. Each time we read it, it reminds us that mercy is not just something God does, it’s who He is.
Mercy is a covenant word, a binding promise between God and His people. It describes His loyal love, His steadfast kindness, and His faithful goodness toward His people. When the Old Testament writers spoke of God’s mercy, they were pointing to His unbreakable commitment to those He loves.
A Simple Way To Understand Mercy
Here’s a simple way to understand God’s mercy:
CHESED means undeserved benevolence and withholding deserved judgment.
What a comfort to know that God’s mercy is abundant, limitless, and everlasting. When I cry out for mercy, God reaches down, no matter where I am, and pours out His lovingkindness, covenant faithfulness, comfort, and compassion in overflowing measure.
The Best Example Of Mercy
The best example of mercy is Jesus.
God the Father sent His Son to earth to die in our place for our sins, our rebellion against Him. Sin separates us from a holy and just God, and sin must be judged. But in His mercy, God did what we could never do. He paid for our sins through His Son’s life.
Jesus is love and mercy in the flesh. Because of His mercy, God offers us forgiveness and a way back to Him. Salvation is His free, merciful gift.
But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us, even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment).
Ephesians 2:4-5
Oh, how I love scripture that begins with the words “But God.”
Do you need a little or a lot of God’s mercy in your life? I know I do. I want CHESED to be poured over every part of my life.
Ask God for His mercy, for yourself, and for others. Look for it, because when you do, you will find it. And when you see His mercy at work, rejoice and thank Him for this most wonderful gift.
Scripture About Mercy To Ponder
One of the most beautiful scriptures to ponder this week is Lamentations 3:22-23
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
These words are a daily reminder that God’s mercy never runs out. Each morning brings a fresh outpouring of His faithful love and compassion.
More Sunday Scriptures
Knowing The Names Of God
Learning the Name of God helps you know His character, call on Him in a personal way, and see Him as He reveals Himself. Knowing His name builds faith.
Happy Sunday, friends…
Lovely words. Others are grace, empathy, gratitude, all words/actions I work toward.
Thank you for the beautiful post about God’s mercy. I am begging Him for mercy today as we deal with a difficult situation. May The Lord richly bless you. While I love all of your posts about decorating etc., the Sunday morning posts are your most important work.
Yes, Lorraine, I know! God bless you and may you abound in His Mercy!
Yvonne, I, too, love your Sunday messages. Thank You!
I pray for God’s Mercy for our country which we love.
It is easy for me to remember it this way:
Grace is when we get what we don’t deserve.
Mercy is when we don’t get what we do deserve.
I hope that is helpful for others to remember. Have a blessed day.
I love that too!
Always thankful for your much needed words of encouragement and beyond grateful for God’s boundless mercy each and every day.
Amen, Jane!
Today I planned on reading about Grace and Mercy and low and behold, there your words were. God is using you
to help your followers understand His love, His Grace and His Mercy. Blessings
I’m so happy God lead you to this post. I hope it is a blessing to you!
Enjoy your daily posts. But love and look forward to your Sunday posts. I needed the reminder of God’s mercy today.
God bless your week with joy!
What a beautiful post. God’s mercy is always there. We just have to trust and surrender to him. No one loves us more. Thank you for all your beautiful posts. I learn so much from you.
Hi Suzie, How sweet of you to say! We often think about grace, but we need His blood-bought mercy just as much!