What does it mean that God is Merciful?

God being merciful basically means that, when we deserve punishment, He doesn’t punish us, and in fact blesses us instead. Mercy is the withholding of a just condemnation. Throughout the Bible, God gives many illustrations of His mercy. God fully demonstrates His mercy in Jesus Christ.

God was merciful to the wayward Solomon in 1 Kings 11:13. God was merciful to Israel in captivity (Psalm 106:45; Nehemiah 9:31). David illustrated God’s mercy when he showed kindness to Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9:7). God’s mercy was illustrated every year on the Day of Atonement, when the high priest entered the Holiest Place and sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice before the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:14).

God is merciful EVERYDAY in our lives.  

“Today is a good day for a good day” has become a popular phrase recently. It might seem cliche. But cliches are cliche because they are true.

God’s mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). Each day, God reveals His mercy to us in a way that we haven't ever experienced before.

When we wake up, we have a decision to make. We can embrace God’s mercy and choose to have a good day. Or, we can dwell on yesterday’s sin and struggles, and choose to have a bad day.

God is merciful. God’s merciful compassion is infinite and inexhaustible. God demonstrated His mercifulness by sending Jesus to take the judgment that was rightfully ours. God waits and works now for all people to turn to Jesus and to live under His justification (2 Peter 3:9).

Each day, we wake up anew and we start fresh. It doesn't matter what we did yesterday, God’s mercy is available to us today. We have been given a clean slate. The question is what will you do with it?

Reflect:

• Is there an area of your life where what seems like God’s inaction might be His mercy?
• How does understanding that God is merciful change your view of who He is and how He works in our lives?