Mercy

“Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need”.  Hebrews 4:16

Mercy – The Greek word for mercy (eleos) carries with it the sense of active compassion occurring as a special and immediate regard to the misery resulting from sin.  In the Old Testament, this compassion is tied directly to knowing God (Hosea 6:6).  It is important to understand the difference between grace and mercy.  In this verse, we see both terms.  Grace is about God’s free gift of redemption and forgiveness for active rebellion against Him.  Mercy is God’s alleviation of the consequences of sin.  It is the repair work that God performs to overcome the destruction that our sin has caused.  Mercy is the application of grace reminding us of the pathetic condition that our addictions produced in us and in others.  This verse is especially important for all of us in recovery.  It forcefully says three critical things:  that we can approach God confidently, that God forgives us and that as a result of His forgiveness, we will find Him repairing the chaos we created.  What a wonderful promise – to know that God Himself takes an active role in reconstructing the damage we have done.  He is not only a God of pardon; He is also the God of restoration.

Many times we tend to think that the damage we did in our old lives cannot be overcome.  We see heart broken relationships, lost marriages, ruined careers, dashed promises, and we think, “How can it ever be right?”  This verse hints at the amazing fact that God is the God of the past as well as the present.  He does restoration.  He takes that old decaying building we call our life and begins restoring it to its true vision.  And in every way that our lives have damaged others, God is there doing repair work.  It might take a whole lifetime, or longer, to undo some of our messes, but don’t worry, God has plenty of time.  He is merciful.

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