Merciful

Some people claim to want justice.  From God and man. 
Justice from man I can understand
because we’re all supposed to be equal under the law. 
It doesn’t feel that way and I’ll get to that in a moment.

There comes a time in the life of a nation when we have been complacent, sat yawning while our culture wastes away before our eyes, we’ve entertained ourselves with what we know to be wrong, we’ve shaken the hand of corruption without shame or disgust, and we have grieved the God who made us. 

Like the Israelites in Nehemiah 9, we need a national confession. 

5 “Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. ” “Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.  6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

Verses 7-15 extoll the praises of God for His faithfulness and mercy.

Did you know the sins of the nation are made worse
because of the righteous nature of God
Who has been kind, gracious, compassionate, and merciful? 
Do we see our sin for what it is? An affront to a holy God.

Like the Israelites of Nehemiah 9,

16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands.   17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.

But our God is merciful.  He did not desert them, nor has He abandoned us. 
He still guides us by His mercy and His Holy Spirit. 
In His compassion (v 28) He delivers us time after time.

31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

32 “Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes… 33 In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly.

We can confess our national sin knowing that our God is merciful.  That is Good News.

Lord, in Your mercy, praying Ephesians 2, please forgive us for cooperating and participating in our cultural decline, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.  But because of Your great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions– it is by grace we have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Lord, thank You that Your justice was displayed on the Cross so that we might receive the gift of Your grace.  And by faith we might know the gift of God.  Thank You that we cannot earn our salvation but the wrath we have earned…it fell upon Jesus.  Thank You for Your mercy that salvation is by His precious blood and “not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Thank You that we “are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which You prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:3-10)

May we confess our sins knowing You are merciful.  Thank You, Lord Jesus.  Amen.