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WEEKLY
Volume 2 Number 33
13 January 2008
Trust in God’s Mercy
(Message delivered by Rev Hien
Nguyen at the Sunday Worship Service, 2 pm, Jan 6, 08)
Text:
Ps 52:8-9
Looking ahead to this New Year, many wish to have a peaceful and
prosperous year with good health. Many are optimistic and confident in
their wise plans, trusting in their strength, capacity, intelligence,
reputation, power, riches, or capital. Those who are suffering troubles,
difficulties, trials, incurable illness are pessimistic, and these
unfavourable situations seem cast a cloud over their future. Christians
trust in the Lord for blessings, guidance, provision and protection.
However, trusting in God’s mercy will be a firm foundation in all
situations: “For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy
of the most High he shall not be moved” (Ps 21:7), and “When I
said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up” (Ps 94:18).
David composed Psalm 52 when he was running away from King Saul, who
envied him and hunted for his life, and when Doeg, a wicked man,
reported to King Saul that David came to the house of Ahimelech (1 Sam
22:9). David had no home or permanent residence, hiding here and there
in the mountains, in caves, in the wilderness, etc. He had no kingdom
yet although he was anointed, and his future before him was full of
challenges, difficulties, and dangers. However, David trusted in God’s
mercy and praised God’s Word, saying, “But I am like a green olive
tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever”
(Ps 52:8) and “In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my
trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me” (Ps 56:4). How
about you and me when we look ahead to this New Year? Dear friends,
although we do not know what may happen to us tomorrow, but we shall be
established and firm when we trust in God’s mercy and His Word. Then
what does it mean to trust in God’s mercy?
God’s Mercy
How do we know the truth about God and His mercy? God has shown His
love, grace and mercy through His creation, through His Word, and
through His Son Jesus Christ. And it is the Holy Spirit who illumines
our heart to see God’s truth. Mercy is one of God’s attributes, “The
LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy”
(Ps 103:8), and “For the LORD thy God is a merciful God” (Deut
4:31). God is “the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort”
(2 Cor 1:3). Praise the Lord for His mercy is “great” (Ps 145:8),
“tender” (Ps 145:9), “plenteous” (Ps 103:8),
“multitude” (Ps 106:45), “rich” (Eph 2:4), “abundant”
(1 Peter 1:3), “everlasting…from everlasting to everlasting” (Ps
100:5; 103:17), and “endureth for ever” (Ps 136:1-26).
Mercy means actively compassionate and sympathetic in mind, in thought
and in action. It means to withhold punishment from offenders who
deserve it and to give help to the helpless who do not deserve it. God
showed mercy in saving us from the condemnation to Hell while we deserve
it and in helping us and blessing us while we do not deserve it. Truly,
“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his
compassions fail not” (Lam 3:22), and “Nevertheless for thy great
mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for
thou art a gracious and merciful God” (Neh 9:31). God’s mercy is
unconditional and up to His attributes and sovereign will, and not up to
man’s good works, efforts or merits, “For he saith to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom
I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of
him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy” (Rom 9:15-16), and
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of
the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). Understanding God’s mercy and knowing
that we are completely at God’s mercy for ever, we shall humble
ourselves and cry for God’s mercy, trust in God mercy, thank for God’s
mercy and praise God’s mercy for ever. Then we shall not have any
complaints or murmurings against the Lord in all situations.
Cry for God’s Mercy
Knowing God’s mercy is not enough, we are to humbly cry for God’s mercy.
And surely it is not in vain when we cry for God’s mercy in our
repentance and in our need. This cry must come from a humble heart,
acknowledging our helplessness, hopelessness and unworthiness and then
looking unto the Lord alone for forgiveness, for help or for
deliverance: “Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal
me; for my bones are vexed” (Ps 6:2), “Have mercy upon me, O
LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that
liftest me up from the gates of death” (Ps 9:13), “Have mercy
upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief,
yea, my soul and my belly” (Ps 31:9), “LORD, be merciful unto me:
heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee” (Ps 41:4), etc.
We see that it is not in vain when David cried unto the Lord in
repentance, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy
lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot
out my transgressions” (Ps 51:1), or for help and deliverance from
the enemies, “Turn thee unto me, have mercy upon me; for I am
desolate and afflicted…Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and
they hate me with cruel hatred” (Ps 25:16-20), and “Be merciful
unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily
oppresseth me” (Ps 56:1), etc. It is not in vain when the two blind
men cried unto the Lord Jesus, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of
David,” and when the multitude rebuked them, they “cried the
more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David” (Matt
20:30-31). How about you and me? Do you and I cry for God’s mercy? I
usually cry unto the Lord in my heart, “Have mercy upon me, O Lord” when
I encounter troubles, difficulties or dangers, when I made mistakes,
when I need to finish my duties in time, when I preach God’s Word, when
I drive, etc, and thank God that I am not disappointed for God’s mercy
is great and enduring for ever.
Trust in God’s Mercy For Ever
David trusted “in the mercy of God for ever and ever,” even when
he was chastised, “I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the
hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into
the hand of man” (2 Sam 24:14; 1 Chron 21:13) It is not enough to
know God’s mercy and cry for God’s mercy for a while, we are to trust in
God’s mercy for ever, and this really demands our humble submission to
and great faith in the Lord. We are to trust in God’s mercy, not in our
merits or good works when we pray or cry unto Him like the tax
collector, “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13) or like
Daniel, “O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and
behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we
do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses,
but for thy great mercies” (Dan 9:18).
Matthew recorded an incident (Matt 15:22-28) when a woman of Canaan came
to Jesus and cried, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my
daughter is grievously vexed with a devil,” and her faith was
tested. First, the Lord Jesus did not answer her a word, and His
disciples asked Him to send her away. Next, when hearing Jesus say,
“I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” the
woman did not give up her trust, but came and “worshipped him,
saying, Lord, help me.” Finally, when hearing Jesus answer, “It
is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs,”
she humbly admitted her nothingness and unworthiness and said,
“Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their
masters’ table.” She passed the test when she trusted in Jesus’
mercy and did not give up her trust until He showed His mercy unto her,
“O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.”
Dear friends, sometimes, our merciful Lord just keeps quiet to test our
faith and trust in Him when we cry unto Him for help. Many give up and
turn to other means or resources. How about you and me? Shall we
persevere and keep on fixing our eyes on Him, crying and trusting in
God’s mercy until He shows His mercy and see us through our
trials? “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their
masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so
our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy
upon us. Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we
are exceedingly filled with contempt” (Ps 123:2-3), and “Be
merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in
thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until
these calamities be overpast” (Ps 57:1).
May God help you and me to trust in His mercy for ever, even when we
meet Him and live with Him for ever in Heaven.
Thank and Praise God for His Mercy
We do glorify God when we thank and praise God for His mercy as this
will give all credits and glory to the Lord while we humbly acknowledge
our nothingness and unworthiness, “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks
unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Ps
106:1; 107:1; 136:1), and “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for
ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all
generations” (Ps 89:1). Jacob glorified the Lord when saying to Him,
“I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the
truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I
passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands” (Gen 32:10).
Moses glorified God, singing, “Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the
people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength
unto thy holy habitation” (Exod 15:13). David glorified God when he
thanked and praised the Lord, “I will praise thee for ever” (v
9), and “Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the
heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. Great deliverance giveth
he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his
seed for evermore” (Ps 18:49-50; cf. 2 Sam 22:50-51). Paul glorified
God when he acknowledged God’s mercy, “Who (Paul) was before a
blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy,
because I did it ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Tim 1:13).
How about you and me? Do we acknowledge God’s mercy and give all glory,
thanks and praise to Him for what He has done for us? “Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant
mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3)
How to Obtain More of God’s Mercy
It is God’s mercy alone that we have known Him and enjoyed His blessings
and salvation. Then, to enjoy more of God’s mercy, what should we do?
Confess and Forsake Sins: “He that covereth his sins
shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have
mercy” (Prov 28:13).
Fear God: “But the mercy of the LORD is from
everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his
righteousness unto children's children” (Ps 103:17).
Come to God in Prayer: “Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to
help in time of need” (Heb 4:16).
Love God and Keep God’s Word: “And shewing mercy unto
thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Exod
20:6) and “If a man love me, he will keep my words” (John 14:23).
How about those who arrogantly dare to judge, doubt, question or
criticise God’s Word?
Keep on Trusting in God’s Mercy: “Let Israel hope
in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is
plenteous redemption” (Ps 130:7; cf. Ps 147:11) and “our eyes
wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.” (Ps
123:2b).
Show Mercy to Others: “Blessed are the merciful: for
they shall obtain mercy” (Matt 5:7), “Be ye therefore merciful,
as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:36).
Offer Our Bodies a Living and Holy Sacrifice: “I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service” (Rom 12:1).
Conclusion
Dear friends, what should we hope for this New Year? Thank God for His
mercy is great and endures for ever. May God help you and me humbly fear
Him, depart from sins and evil, maintain our close fellowship with Him,
keep on obeying His Word, trusting in His mercy, crying for His mercy,
thanking and praising Him for His mercy, showing mercy to others and
keeping our lives a living and holy sacrifice unto Him. Then our lives
will be like “a green olive tree in the house of God,” lively and
fruitful by God’s presence and loving care. Amen.
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