What Is Mercy

In this post: a look at what Mercy really is and how it is part of God's character and the way He deals with His Children.

Lately, my prayer life has been filled with pleas for mercy! I think when I’m feeling particularly vulnerable or unsettled I not only ask for my Father’s grace but His covenant blessing of mercy too! What is God’s mercy? It is a most important holy concept to understand!

To understand mercy we must first admit that we can never wrap our minds around the full measure of God’s mercy! Any more than we can truly understand God’s moral character!

Mercy is who God is! There is no limit to mercy because it is part of God and how He relates to man.

Mercy, the word CHESED (pronounced khe’-sed) in Hebrew, is one of the richest and most precious words in scripture!  

God’s moral character is one full of mercy! CHESED goes to the heart of God himself!  

There is really no adequate word in the English language for CHESED.    We call it God’s lovingkindness,  kindness, and mercy.   But God’s true mercy is so much more!!!!   

CHESED is a covenant word. A word that is part of a solemn, binding agreement between God and His people.  Just think about that! God has bound Himself to those who love Him in a contract. He did this so we know that He will never forsake us or leave us. And lavishing us with His mercy is part of that contract.

Here is a good way to understand God’s mercy…

CHESED is undeserved benevolence and withholding deserved judgment.

CHESED is a word of great comfort and security for those longing for God’s spiritual comfort and for those wanting to see God’s compassion working in their lives!  

CHESED is abundant because God’s measure of mercy is limitless!   

CHESED is everlasting! Not only does God pour out mercy in great measure, but HE is also not bound by time and neither is the mercy HE lavishes on us!  

When I cry out to God asking for mercy, God reaches down to where I am, no matter where, and pours out his lovingkindness, mercy, covenant, benevolence, comfort, security and love in great abundance!  

Here’s the best example of God’s mercy to men.

Jesus!

God the Father sent Jesus to planet earth to die in our place for our sins. Those sins are our rebellion against Him. And sin keeps us from having a relationship with God. And sin must be judged by a holy and just God.

But in God’s mercy He did what we could not do. He paid for our sins of rebellion with His Son’s life.

Jesus is love and mercy in the flesh!

And God offers a way of forgiveness and a path back to Him by His great mercy! We don’t have to do anything but believe!

Our salvation is a free gift! Oh, what mercy!

But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us,  even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment). Ephesians 2:4-5

Oh how I love scripture that begins with the words BUT GOD

Do you need a little (or a lot) of God’s mercy in your life? I do! I want CHESED to be lavished upon me and my situations!

Don’t forget to ask God for mercy in your life and the lives of others. Look for God’s mercy because if you look for it in your life you will find it. And when you do rejoice and thank God for his most wonderful gift!

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10 Comments

  1. Lovely words. Others are grace, empathy, gratitude, all words/actions I work toward.

  2. Thank you for the beautiful post about God’s mercy. I am begging Him for mercy today as we deal with a difficult situation. May The Lord richly bless you. While I love all of your posts about decorating etc., the Sunday morning posts are your most important work.

    1. Yes, Lorraine, I know! God bless you and may you abound in His Mercy!

  3. Yvonne, I, too, love your Sunday messages. Thank You!

    I pray for God’s Mercy for our country which we love.

  4. Clare Godleski says:

    It is easy for me to remember it this way:
    Grace is when we get what we don’t deserve.
    Mercy is when we don’t get what we do deserve.
    I hope that is helpful for others to remember. Have a blessed day.

  5. Always thankful for your much needed words of encouragement and beyond grateful for God’s boundless mercy each and every day.

  6. Today I planned on reading about Grace and Mercy and low and behold, there your words were. God is using you
    to help your followers understand His love, His Grace and His Mercy. Blessings

    1. I’m so happy God lead you to this post. I hope it is a blessing to you!