It was a Friday morning, and I was exhausted from the week. I woke up, and my mind began to immediately mull over all the problems of the week—especially with a particular person who often causes me angst! Ah, but God has been working on me! He has been patiently teaching me how to take captive negative thoughts and ask Him to help me have the mind of Christ! So I prayed, “Lord, take these thoughts captive and fill my mind with Your thoughts.” Then I went out on the back deck with my coffee, and closed my eyes, and began to listen to Psalms 18 on my Bible app:
“With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;
With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
With the pure You will show Yourself pure;
And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
You will save the humble people,
But will bring down haughty looks.For You will light my lamp;
The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
For by You I can run against a troop,
By my God I can leap over a wall.
As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” Psalm 18:25-30
As I listened to these verses, God reminded me of another verse:
“He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To LOVE mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8
In Psalm 18, King David pours out his gratitude to God for deliverance from his enemies, painting a vivid picture of God as both a mighty warrior and a tender Father. Amid the imagery of earthquakes, thunder, and divine rescue, David remembers God’s character and how we, as His children, are called to mirror it. God especially focused my mind on this verse: “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful.”
You see, God reminded me that when we extend mercy to those who cause us angst, by forgiving wrongs, showing compassion, and offering grace in moments of judgment, we align ourselves with His heart. In return, He lavishes His mercy upon us, in every area of our life. We do ourselves a great favor by gaining a deep understanding of God’s mercy in our life. In fact, in Micah 6:8, we are commanded to love mercy:
Do justice, LOVE mercy, and walk humbly with God.
Notice how mercy is not just an action but something to love. This is an attitude of the heart that flows from us when God is on the throne. Loving mercy flows from the gift of humility when we live in God’s presence. He reveals we are not the center of the universe, thus, we gladly surrender to Him— in every area of our life. Then He becomes our shield against those who seek to disrupt our peace.
“As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” Psalm 18:30
As born again believers, we have the power to choose to “love mercy.” When we show mercy to others, we’re embodying Christ’s mind. (Philippians 2:5) Jesus showed ultimate mercy to us by dying to reconcile us to the Father. As we are merciful, God draws near, blessing us with the intimacy of His presence.
God’s mercy toward us inspires us to live merciful lives and draws us into His cycle of grace, where ordinary moments become extraordinary encounters.
Reflection:
Identify someone in need of mercy this week (perhaps someone who has offended you) and ask the Lord how you should extend kindness to this person.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me that Your ways are good. Help me to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with You each day. Help me love mercy by showing Your mercy to others. Shield me, enlighten me, and draw me closer to Your presence. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
