Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment

Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.” Lord, like David in Psalms 4, we cry out to you as our authority and the author of true mercy. Thank You for being a God of compassion and love. Life is hard enough without constantly being afraid of a God who’s out to get me.
 
 Help me see what you want me to see when You don’t lift the consequences of my actions. Help me to pay it forward to others when you do. Be that constant voice inside my head and the soothing arms around my heart. Mercy is a gift. Never let me forget to mirror to others the compassion You’ve shown me.

Mercy and Grace—huge concepts for Christians and a foundational part of who God is. “The Lord is full of compassion and mercy” (James 5:11). Before we focus on mercy, let’s take a second to talk about the difference between them. It’s important to realize mercy and grace aren’t interchangeable because they’re not the same.

Think of mercy as not being punished when we do deserve it—God delivering us from judgment.

Think of grace as being rewarded when we don’t deserve it—God blessing the unworthy.

I can be the best person, the most devoted Christ follower, and a consistent church attender. But without Jesus I’m always going to be unworthy. We can thank sin for that.

“. . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).