After a total consecration of my life to God, I still hadn’t found the relief I sought. In my weakened condition, my constant prayer became, “Lord, have mercy on me.”
This was the last weapon I used against the enemy of my soul. And though I do not know the day or the hour, I do know that one day I walked from sickness into health with that prayer on my lips.
God’s mercy is health to the sick. But it is also abundance to those in need, food to the hungry, peace to the tormented. It is a shelter to the homeless and a companion to the lonely.
God gives assistance to the helpless, victory to the defeated and comfort to the afflicted and bereaved. Just as King David sought out Mephibosheth, the descendent of Saul, to bestow upon him the kindness of God (see 2 Sam. 9:3 ), so Christ’s compassion and tender mercies seek to bring relief to us today.
Mercy is a ministry for desperate people, for the discomfited who have asked God to bring them out through any method, any means available. These are the ones who, at any cost, want to come out of their affliction into complete restoration and wholeness.
The Father’s loving-kindness is altogether unimaginable. It challenges our intellects to conceive of such great tenderness and leniency toward mankind.
Mercy can be dispensed only from one with power. Christ is rich in mercy and has all power, even the power to temper His justice with His mercy and grace.
God willingly relieves the distresses of the just and the unjust. His mercy is lavish and unbiased in its application.
So admirable is this quality that God places it in each of His children and requires that we bestow it upon one another. Only those who possess this virtue can give it away.
MERCIFUL AND MIGHTY Possessing the attribute of mercy confirms the presence of power. Indeed, the merciful are the mighty.
Today, are you in deep despair? Perhaps you are in a long season of helplessness. Place yourself at the mercy of God, remembering that it is a ministry of love that brings help for life’s misery. It silently streams its way into your circumstances, changes your condition, brightens your life and provides relief from your distress.
You can be assured that God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and of great loving-kindness. He is
forgiving; He pities your frame.
Even the most wicked receive mercy when truth and humility are within them to call upon the goodness of God. His loving-kindness fills the earth.
Never forget that this powerful tool is available to you. Whether you find yourself in a cave, like David, or in the belly of a great fish, like Jonah, you must remember God is merciful. Whisper, cry or scream for Him to reveal His mercy to you.
You must become accustomed to seeking the revelation of God’s mercy in your situation. If you acquaint yourself with His kindness, you will find that God is not only able to deliver you out of all your troubles, but also willing.
God’s love for us is limitless. He has provided an avenue of escape for every dilemma that may ever confront us.
For the suffering, the bewildered and the hopeless, He employs His rich mercy. Receive it. Cleave to it.
Make God’s mercy your possession. Then watch closely as your willing God provides divine favor to rescue you from your darkest night.
His mercies, new every day, await your cry. For you are precious in His sight.
Jacqueline Jakes Sedgwick is the sister of Bishop T. D. Jakes, senior pastor of The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas.
