Worship

“Nineveh” by Brooke Ligertwood

Scripture

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”” -Genesis 3:8-10, ESV

“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” -Genesis 3:21-24, ESV

God’s Mercy

His mercy is coming after you! His mercy is following you! His mercy is coming after your nation and the nations of the world that are far from Him. His cross is powerful today just like it was 2,000 years ago for all of humanity! Whether in a city like Nineveh or in the intimacy of Eden with the Lord, no one is far from His mercy. His mercy will be unleashed in the Earth in manifestations of His love, compassion, and goodness like we have yet to see!

As I was walking into a 24-hour prayer and worship set my church was hosting in North Dallas, the Lord placed these words in my spirit:

The greatest miracle is the miracle of mercy on mankind.

I have been pondering this truth, which the Lord placed on my heart, as He then took me to Genesis 3.

In the throes of Adam and Eve’s sin, God comes to them fully aware of the fall of humanity that had just taken place. He comes to them with the plan of salvation now fully activated, as it had been planned before the foundation of the world. The Lord was longing for intimacy, regardless of their sin. How beautiful is the love expressed in His longing for them? He wasn’t running through the garden in a panic, trying to find two naked people who just messed up, waiting to bring the hammer down. He was looking for the ones His heart adored, longing to bring them back to Himself.

In mercy, He made them coverings for their nakedness. It was a sign of the blood offering His Son would come to make as the perfect sacrifice.

In mercy, He didn’t allow them to eat from the tree of life so that they wouldn’t live forever in their sin.

In mercy, He placed waring angels to keep the enemy away from what was their Holy of Holies with the Lord. He protected their intimacy and dwelling place with Him.

Understanding Biblical Mercy

Mercy in Scripture speaks of God’s intense compassion and steadfast love. It points to His deep love and tender affection for His people. He shows kindness toward the miserable and the afflicted and desires to help those in need.

“There is One who is in heaven, whose throne is there, who rules all the affairs of men and sees everything that we do. He is not sometimes merciful and sometimes judgmental. Our heavenly Father is always merciful. And the Bible even calls His throne, ‘the throne of grace where we may obtain [what?] mercy and find grace to help in time of need’ (Hebrews 4:16). Isn’t it wonderful to know that He is the Lord we come to? He is merciful. He knows what we are like and He knows we are not worth much. But He invites us to come to Him and He wants to do these wonderful things for us. How wonderful is the mercy of our Lord!” -David Hocking

We were, at one time, all bound up as prisoners who deserved judgment. We were all, at one time, naked and ashamed hoping that by hiding in our brokenness or covering it with worldly ambition or addiction, we’d just blend in. Crippled, we walked with chains around our ankles. But Christ, rich in mercy, ran to us and rescued us through the perfect blood of Jesus. Now we are prisoners of hope who are marked and sealed by grace and mercy—two things we don’t deserve but are freely given.

Real-World Application of Mercy

My family has had two women stay with us for almost two weeks. They are bound by addiction, strongholds galore, and deep hopelessness because of a life of pain. When we picked them up at the airport, I felt a surge of compassion overtake me to the point of tears. I knew it was the Holy Spirit, and I was feeling Christ’s love toward them. How He longs to set these captives free and release a new road of grace and mercy for these two broken little birds to run free upon. What they soothe their flesh in (alcohol, gambling and smoking), Jesus has an ocean of mercy to cover. “For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all (Romans 11:32, emphasis added).”

Mercy is such a miracle! We don’t deserve it, yet we are so dependent on it. We couldn’t bear the weight of the judgement of God, nor could we navigate life, if all we had was the justice of God. How we need His deep compassion and tender love in our human condition and glorious sanctification. While grace gives us what we don’t deserve, mercy withholds what we do deserve. Jesus is our mercy. When He took the sin of the whole world upon Himself, He gave us the free gift of mercy in return, and little do we know that we are as dependent on it as the air we breathe!

As we have freely received His mercy, let’s be fierce mercy carriers!

So, what is our response to the lavish mercy we wake up to each day as Christ followers? How do we express mercy to those so far from Jesus? I believe that Isaiah 58:6-12 is our mandate of mercy to a lost, broken, and destitute world! Please read it, and let the verses sink in.

“‘Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

“‘Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“‘If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

“‘The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.’” -Isaiah 58:6-12

The Power of the Gospel

I want to close with an excerpt from a book I have been devouring, “Back to the Gospel” by Peter Louis. He writes:

“The gospel takes ordinary people, who were previously cut off from experiencing intimacy with God, and makes us so clean that God is literally able to come and make His home inside us. Without the cleansing blood of Jesus, it would be impossible to be made one with God. But now God has poured His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. As we understand this beautiful reality and begin to enjoy fellowship and intimacy with God, we will begin to look like Him. His patience becomes our patience. His kindness will shine through our eyes. His power will be released as we lay hands on the sick. His holy authority will rest upon the words that we speak because He lives inside of us. Perfect love has now made His home in our hearts, delivering us from any fear of man and empowering us to actually love others.”

Go take this outrageous mercy to your grocery store bagger, your workplace, your children’s teachers, and let it flow down the streets of your neighborhood. You are His appointed Mercy Carrier!