Mercy - The Game Changer

Just recently, friends of ours had their home broken into. Thankfully they were not home during the incident, and very little was taken, not even food, but the damage done to their property and belongings was horrible.  The thieves broke huge plains of window glass to get in.  They cut themselves badly in the process.  As a result, everything they rummaged through was soaked in blood.  Bedding, clothes, the carpets and kitchen counters had so much blood, leaving stains that just can’t be removed.  I have to tell you, this really upset me.  I went straight to Lord about it.  I was angry at the senseless, unnecessary crime against our friends. Just thinking about it made me want to see JUSTICE!

 I have to ask you a question, what is your reaction towards someone who intentionally does you or someone you love, wrong?  Suppose it wasn’t a robbery like my friends suffered, but you, or your loved ones were treated  unfairly or were on the receiving end of the actions of a mean-spirited person. Oh my, there are so many scenarios we can think of where we could be mistreated or hurt by others.  And I’m pretty sure, our first reaction would be shock and hurt, certainly disappointment.  That would make perfect sense. But today, I want to talk to you about a different response we can have when we take our angry, disappointed hearts that cry out for JUSTICE to the Lord, concerning our offenders.

  Now, I have to smile at this thought, because when I’m alone with the Lord, I always feel free to ‘bare my all’ before Him.  Maybe it’s because I know He doesn’t judge me, no matter how ugly the true feelings of my soul appear.  But what makes me laugh at myself is the fact that as soon as I’m in His presence, my heart is exposed to His influence.  This means He is going to show me things from His perspective, which is ALWAYS a ‘game changer’.

Just like all of you, there have been times where I have cried out to the Lord for JUSTICE to be done for something that was simply WRONG and INJUST.  And in each instance, the Lord showed me a better response, actually, the best response.  The response of MERCY.

Now before you get upset, or stop reading this letter, let me explain what I’ve learnt about MERCY, and how it destroys the work and intent of the real enemy in our lives.

MERCY is part of God’s nature.  It’s in His character to be merciful. I looked up the definition of MERCY in the Word and the dictionary.  It means, having compassion and kindness toward the miserable and afflicted.   It also means readiness to help, to spare, to forgive.  And this one sums it up beautifully: Mercy is compassion and forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.

I should also mention that I’ve realized, as long as we are tied to this physical world in our thinking and actions, we can’t tap into the supernatural grace and provision God has made available for us.

God has always shown me His mercy, especially when I deserved to see His justice.  And as much as He extends His mercy to me, He extends it to those who don’t even know Him.  Luke 6:35b, says, “He is kind and charitable and good to the ungrateful and the selfish and wicked.”  No matter what we or anyone else does, the Bible says that God longs to pardon, not punish.

God’s MERCY is very great, and since He lives in us, our spirits carry His MERCY too.  That’s why in Luke 6:36, we are told, “So be merciful (sympathetic, tender, responsive, and compassionate) even as your Father is [all these].”

So, what if we decided to pray for His MERCY instead of JUSTICE when it comes to those who wrong us?  I recently came across something Kenneth Copeland wrote, in Faith to Faith, A Daily Guide to Victory. He pointed out that instead of praying against those who wrong us, we would be praying for them, when we pray for God’s MERCY on them.  We would be praying against the devil on their behalf.  Praying that the devil’s hold on them would be broken and that they be drawn into the light and love of God instead.  Oh my goodness, that would certainly throw the kingdom of darkness into chaos.  What was intended to steal our peace and joy, and keep the offenders in the devil’s evil grip, would completely backfire!  

The next time you find yourself about to ask the Lord for JUSTICE, take a moment to consider asking for MERCY instead, I guarantee, it’ll be a real game changer!

Love you all,

Jenny