Enduring Mercy

Psalms 136:1-3 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of Lords! For His mercy endures forever.

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Can the Lord be any clearer about what His will is for each of us? So many ask, "What is God's will for my life?" Well, if we open our Bibles, we can easily find God's will for each of us. Every time we read a command from God, that is His will. His plan will be revealed as we obediently live out His will. In today's Psalm, we see that the psalmist begins with God's will, "Oh, give thanks to the Lord." Why are we called to give thanks? Because the Lord is good. Note that the psalmist did not say to give thanks because God gives us riches, or because He never allows us to suffer. He did not say to give thanks because we will live a comfortable life. No, we are to give God thanks because regardless of our circumstances, He remains goods. He goes on to tell us that God's mercy endures forever. The word mercy means kindness, beauty, favor, pity. Psalm 103:13 tells us, "As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him." As we give God thanks and praise, in all circumstances, and in all things, with reverent fear, He promises that His mercy will endure forever; meaning that His mercy is eternal. We do not serve a God who is "wishy washy" about who He is. His goodness toward us, His children, is unchanging. Sometimes, His goodness toward us comes in the form of discipline. Hebrews 12:7-11 explains that the Lord will chasten His children, and even though it may be a painful process, in the end it "yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." The bottom line is that no matter what happens in life, no matter what God allows us to experience, good or bad, it does not change the fact that He is good. "For His mercy endures forever."

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).