Daily Digest: Capstone Capsule

“THE LORD is MERCIFUL and gracious, slow to anger, and ABOUNDING in MERCY” – Psalm 103:8

To glorify the God of Impact is to acknowledge and worship the GOD and FATHER of MERCIES: “THE LORD is MERCIFUL and gracious, slow to anger, and ABOUNDING in MERCY” (Psa.103:8). This is a core declaration of God’s Character. Mercy is the visible, tangible, dynamic display of Divine Love; the outworking of God’s Love, kindness, and benevolence stretched towards humankind to meet human needs. God – Who is Love – manifests as “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (1Jh.4:7; 2Cor.1:3b). Glorifying the God of Mercies involves praising His compassionate nature, recognizing His forgiveness through Christ Jesus, and living mercifully ourselves. We glorify God by reflecting His Love and Truth in action.

Mercy is a unique divine attribute, an infinite resource in the divine nature which disposes God to be actively compassionate. It is not a passing mood, but a key currency of heaven on earth: “The earth, O Lord, is full of Your Mercy” (Psa.119:64). Yet, many take His Mercy for granted! We must learn to celebrate and glorify God for His Mercy! The Lord revealed to Moses that Mercy is at the core of His Character (Exo.34:6-7). Romans 15:9 affirms why the Gentiles are to “glorify God for His Mercy.”

Psalms 103 glorifies the “God of Mercies” by detailing His abundant, constant, and everlasting compassion, contrasting human frailty with God's eternal nature, and recounting His acts of deliverance. This personal and national hymn of praise from David, focuses on God's Character and benefits to His people in terms of: forgiveness of sins; compassion; fatherly empathy; and healing and redemption. God forgives all our sins and removes them completely, "as far as the east is from the west," showing the limitless nature of His Mercy over human sinfulness. We, who earned condemnation, by mercy, now enjoy communion.

God's compassion is like that of a father for his children, rooted in His understanding of human weakness and mortality – "For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust" (v.14). This personalizes His Mercy, makes it relatable and validates it as He heals diseases, redeems from destruction, crowns with "lovingkindness and tender mercies," and satisfies with good things (vv.3-5). Mercy ensures that we are not “messed up” in life (vv.1-8). Psalm 136, a liturgical psalm with a responsive refrain – “For His mercy endures forever” – further underlines the unending nature of God's Mercy across all of His actions. 

The Father’s Mercy found and rescued us: "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ..." (Eph.2:4-5a). We who deserved the pains and torture of hell shall know the triumph and bliss of heaven. Mercy answers to the guilt, pain, fears, and tears in the world.

Beloved, let’s celebrate the Mysteries of Mercy and glorify the Father of Mercies!