Tender Mercies
Today’s Verse:
Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to thy judgments. ~Psalm 119:156
Psalm 119 teaches us that trials, afflictions, and problems teach us about God and His attributes. Times of difficulty are God’s gift to us. Without these troubles, we would be lacking in our faith and grasp of God’s power and love in our life. This morning, we see where the psalmist speaks of the tender mercies of God. In a society where a bravado spirit, retaliation, and rage are so prevalent, we must look past this and see the tender mercies of God for our life.
We see a man who is suffering.
“Consider mine affliction." "Many are my persecutors and mine enemies." "I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved.” This pilgrim was groaning within his spirit because his spiritual enemies had outnumbered him. He was suffering because their scornful words had taken a toll on him. He was grieved at how lawless his society and world had become. Does the decline of our world disturb you? Does the hatred against God, His Word, and the church cause you concern? It should! We should have a heart like Paul when he went down to Athens and saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
We see a man who is sustained.
“Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD." This man was sustained in his spirit, his thoughts, and his outlook by resting on the tender mercies of God. God’s mercies are His pity, love, and grace that work in us. In the midst of his trouble, God’s tender mercies lavished him in love. I am reminded of Romans 8:34-38 and how nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. God’s tender mercies comfort us with love. God’s tender mercies were large. He said, “Great are thy tender mercies.” God just kept pouring buckets of His tender mercies into the life of this believer. God’s tender mercies were lifting. These mercies lifted his spirit. These tender mercies gave him peace. These tender mercies enabled him to have a correct perspective on God’s plan for his life.
We see a man who is steadfast.
“I do not forget thy law." "...Yet do I not decline from thy testimonies." "Consider how I love thy precepts.” This man remained anchored and steadfast in the Lord. Like Eleazar, “his hand clave unto the sword.” Like Paul, he determined that none of these things would move him. Don’t stray from God’s Word when things get tough. Let your problems draw you closer to the Lord than ever before. Anticipate a special word from God at all times.
We see a man who is stirred.
Three times, he asked the Lord to quicken him. He could feel the paralysis of fear creeping into his soul. He could feel the paranoia of fear causing him to have doubts. He knew that he needed God to keep him stirred and revived. When we get too comfortable, too cocky, too chicken-hearted, or too clouded in our thoughts, it is time to pray for God to stir us. He knew that the problems were distracting him from being where God wanted him to be. Ask the Lord to quicken, revive, and stir you. Be stirred for God’s testimony, for His work, and for souls to be saved. Be stirred that you do not lose your fervency for the Lord.
In the midst of a difficult circumstance, God’s tender mercies kept this believer safe, spiritual, stirred, and sane. Discover His mercies in your life. Remember that they are loving, large, lifting, and lasting. "Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD"!
Have a mercy-filled God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Romans 14-16