Baptist City Blog

His Mercy Endures...

Psalm 118:1

"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever."

One of the greatest attributes of God is His mercy. Every person who has ever lived can be thankful that God is a merciful God. In the verse above we are reminded that God's mercy endures forever. What is this mercy that will endure forever? The easiest definition of mercy is not getting something that we deserve. In other words, when we deserve the worst, mercy steps in and keeps us from getting the worst. Yet, it is not just God's mercy that is great, but it is the longevity of His mercy. The verse above says that God's "mercy endureth for ever." The word "endureth" means, "to last, to remain, to bear, to sustain or support, and to continue in." In other words, the length of this mercy is what helps us to keep going. So what does God's mercy endure?

First, verse 5 shows us that His mercy endures in times of distress. When we deserve to be distressed in life, God keeps us from being distressed. When we deserve to live in anguish, God's mercy sustains us through the time of pain. No, God doesn't remove the things that may cause us distress, but His mercy is there to help us go through it. When life causes heartache, God is there to remove the heartache. When life brings heartbreak, God is there to heal the broken heart. When life brings pain, God is there to remove the pain. Even when we have caused these things to happen in our life, God's mercy is there to remove those things.

Second, verses 8 and 9 show us that His mercy endures in our times of indecision. You will see in these verses that there are times when we are trying to decide whether to trust God or man, yet His mercy endures with us. Imagine, we are contemplating whether we should forsake God for man, and yet His mercy keeps Him with us when we don't deserve His presence. Christian, though you may have made a dumb decision and trusted man over God, you can rest assured that His mercy keeps His presence near you.

Third, verse 13 shows us that His mercy endures times of attack. When the world attacks us, God's mercy is there to protect us. There are times when the attacks of the world are our own fault, yet God in His mercy is still there to help keep those attacks from harming us. Yes, we deserve the attacks of the world, but God in His mercy is there to stop the harm that the attacks were meant to cause.

Fourth, verse 18 shows us that His mercy endures times of chastening. When we have done something wrong that causes God to chasten us, His mercy steps in and causes Him to be with us as we go through the chastening. Though the punishment of sin is being administered, God's mercy is there to help you through your punishment.

Fifth, verse 24 shows us that His mercy endures daily struggles. When we deserve to have a bad day, God's mercy steps in and finds a way that we can have a good day. In other words, sometimes the only way you will have a good day is to find out what God's mercy has done for you on that day. Every day we live, we experience the mercy of God and if we will find what His mercy endured that day, then we can rejoice in that day.

Finally, verse 25 shows us that His mercy endures financial struggles. Though we deserve to be broke, God's mercy is what gets us through rough financial times. God doesn't owe us anything, yet His mercy promises to supply our daily needs. It is only because of God's mercy that we can make it through these tough financial times.

With all of this in mind, we are commanded to thank God for His mercy. Be sure at the end of every day that you take the time to thank God for His mercy that was extended to you throughout that day. It is only God's mercy that helps each of us through each day.