Psalm 51:1-2 (NKJV)
51 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
Why should God have mercy on any of us? All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. He has absolutely no reason to grant us grace. There is nothing we can do to earn it or deserve it yet He gives us grace and mercy daily.
David asked God for mercy according to God’s goodness and not on his own merit. David knew he did not deserve mercy but he still asked. David knew the goodness of the Lord. The Lord is willing to accept our confession and restore us. It is not dependent on our merit but upon His grace.
Grace and mercy do not make sense. We will just fail again. Why bother forgiving and restoring us? He does it because He came to seek and save the lost. We are lost. The human heart is deceitful. Jeremiah 17:9 says 9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”. But God knows it. Yet He still sees the good He planted in each of us and works daily to grow those seeds. Your Creator put seeds of greatness in you and wants them to blossom. Therefore, He makes you over through His grace. When you fall short of the mark, He picks you up and dusts you off and helps you to try again. My Dad used to say “you’ll do better next time!” That is just like our Heavenly Father. He knows you will do better next time. That is why He restores you. He wants you to succeed. He knew from the beginning that we would need work. He was prepared!
So why does He give us so many chances? Because He loves us! We are His handiwork made in His image and likeness. His mercy and loving kindness surround us. His grace is sufficient for His power is made perfect in our weakness. He overlooks our imperfections and leads us in His ways. And each time we try, we get a little better. He wants you to do justice and love mercy and walk humbly with Him. Will you try again to walk in His ways?
Mercy doesn’t make sense. We do not get what we deserve. We deserve punishment but He gives grace. All our righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) in light of God’s perfection. Yet He still cares for us. There are some mysteries we cannot understand. Love and mercy are among those. They are God’s free gift. Will you accept the gift? Will you extend to others what has been given to you? In Jesus name I pray for and with you! Amen!