Who Deserves Mercy Most?

Who deserves mercy most?

I asked myself the question after a ship capsized off the California coast last week.

The Coast Guard arrived in time to save all seven people–which included three children under ten. It was a miracle in our frigid waters because no one wore a life jacket.

Like many writers to the editor of the paper, I was indignant.

What were those parents thinking not putting the children into life jackets?

How could they be so foolish?

Did I have any business asking that question?

But then the Holy Spirit checked me on that concept: mercy.

Who deserved God’s mercy most? Them or me?

Well, neither.

We’re all culpable in one way or another for the mistakes we make raising our children.

Or even the errors we make while living our lives.

Who hasn’t done something stupid in traffic?

Several people close to me left children behind in airports, a relative’s home, and even sleeping in their cribs when they assumed the spouse had the baby.

Or what about the shock of pulling a toddler out of the car seat and realizing they never buckled him in?

We were fortunate that we didn’t have to face charges of dereliction of duty due to absent-mindedness, at the least. 

So, who was I to judge those families reeling from horror?

Does anyone deserve mercy?

The New King James Bible lists 276 verses for mercy.

My favorite verse, of all, is out of Micah 6:8 (NKJV):

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you?
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

This is an excellent reminder that God asks me to show mercy to those who have erred, including myself.

It’s also helpful for me to remember another essential verse from Romans 3:22b-24 (NKJV):

“There is no difference.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace.”

Mercy, forgiveness for our mistakes–no matter how lethal–falls into God’s grace.

All we have to do is ask God to forgive whatever sin we’re confessing.

He will.

He always does.

And then I have to accept that forgiveness as once done, and completed.

Why are forgiveness and mercy so hard for us to accept?

Satan is an accuser. He wants everyone to feel weighted down by shame and guilt.

If he can distract us into focusing on our sins, we miss the good works God gave us.

It’s a distraction technique mired in guilt and shame–or judging others.

There’s no life or joy in that.

At a recent Bible study, someone asked why we struggle so much with accepting forgiveness.

I reminded her of Corrie ten Boom’s insight: “God takes our sins—past, present, and future—and dumps them in the sea. He puts up a sign that says “No Fishing Allowed.”

A friend pointed out that when we confess the same sin repeatedly, God doesn’t know what we’re talking about.

Once confessed and forgiven, God forgets it.

Why should we?

Forgetting confessed sin is mercy, isn’t it?

Thanks be to God.