Wildly Yet God’s Mercy Flows
After a hectic week, Father, I am weary. I slept well last night and pray for another one tonight. Thank You for blessings unmeasured!
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The opening hymn for our services today was Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven. The text was written by Henry F. Lyte in 1834 (based on Psalm 103), and we sang it to the tune, Lauda Anima (which translates to “Praise my soul”), written by John Gross in 1869. I found that it was sung in 1947 at the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. It was also used as the opening hymn at the 2018 funeral of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush.
The last phrase of the third stanza piqued my attention as we recorded our online service yesterday morning and again each of the two times I sang it this morning. The phrase is …widely yet God’s mercy flows.
For whatever reason, my mind registered the word widely as wildly. I think both fit.
The term, widely, as written by Lyte, brings to mind not a creek or a stream but a mighty river. And that brings to mind the word wildly!
I want to run with that, but first, let’s do some foundational work on the word mercy. In my research, I came across this definition on Christianity.com. It stated,
Millard Erickson wrote in Christian Theology,
“God’s mercy is His tenderhearted, loving compassion for His people. It is His tenderness of heart toward the needy. If grace contemplates humans as sinful, guilty, and condemned, mercy sees them as miserable and needy.”
I also liked the one definition (and there are many) that I found on BibleStudyTools.com. Several Hebrew and Greek terms lie behind the English term “mercy.” The chief Hebrew term is hesed, God’s covenant “lovingkindness.”
We are miserable and needy, and in God’s mercy, we are shown His lovingkindness.
Now, I want to run a little with widely and with what registered in my mind – wildly. God does nothing in a small way. Not a single thing He does is insignificant. With God involved, I don’t see mercy as a creek or a stream. I see God’s mercy as a mighty river – a widely flowing mighty river of lovingkindness! All-encompassing… all-inclusive – that’s what God’s mercy is!
When it comes to the wildly flow of God’s mercy, a raging river comes to mind! It is rushing and wind-tossed, but we are not swept away. If anything, our miserable neediness is what is swept away. Another line from Christianity.com fits well here. It says, “…God continues to show mercy in forgiveness. Mercy triumphs over judgment…”
God goes above and beyond what we think would be necessary to meet our needs. He is not a God we can put in a box. He is wild and free in his holiness.
This brings to mind a post I shared in November of 2020 entitled He’s Not Tame. It’s well worth the read as well! God bless!
Jan 7th, 2024, Sun, 5:43 pm
Love Keeps Going and Going!
Thank You, Father, for family. We came together today to accomplish an involved task and saw it to completion. Working together, we were able to have a significant impact!
1 Corinthians 13:7d (<<click here to read the passage)
Love…endures all things [without weakening]. AMP
Most of us are familiar with the Energizer Bunny. I learned recently that it was created in 1988 as a parody of the Duracell Bunny, which first appeared in television advertising in 1973 in its “Drumming Bunny” commercial.
The Duracell Bunny commercial depicted several pink toy bunnies drumming. By the end of the spot, only one was still running –the one powered by a Duracell alkaline battery.
In a more recent Energizer Bunny ad campaign (2007), an Energizer Bunny Beanie Baby came with the following poem attached:
“Whether at home, at work or play
Nothing will get in E.B.’s way
And here’s one thing that’s sure worth knowing
This bunny just keeps going and going!”
As I sit here, having begun writing earlier and now having traveled a short distance to meet up with family for dinner, I feel like my knock-off brand batteries are running low and will soon call it quits for today.
I am grateful that true love is not dependent upon batteries at all – neither Energizer nor Duracell! The love that we find in God’s unending supply never runs low! It endures all things; and as the Amplified Bible puts it, it does so without weakening!
That is most certainly one of the great challenges of humanity when we grow weary or are dealing with pain or anything else that stretches our patience to the nth degree. In those circumstances, we find it difficult to love. Instead, we get short; we snap at those we love because, far too often, our love is in too short a supply. That’s when we must tap into God’s supply, as I spoke of a couple of days ago when I said, “Our source for a never-ending reservoir of love? God is that source!” (Love – Look for the Best in Each Other)
Lord Jesus, with Your help, may our love endure all things without weakening!
Jan 4th, 2023, Thurs, 4:54 pm
Listen to the Mustn’ts – Love Hopes
Father, mountains need to be moved, and we know that no mountain can stand before You. May Your will be done. Amen.
1 Corinthians 13:7c (<<click here to read the passage)
There may be a few out there, but there’s a good chance that not many people know who Shel Silverstein is. Now, if I would ask if you’d ever heard of the children’s book The Giving Tree, that might ring a few more bells of recognition. Silverstein is the respected author of The Giving Tree and several other children’s books, including A Light in the Attic.
Here is a poem he wrote. It’s entitled, Listen to the Mustn’ts
Listen to Mustn’ts, child, listen to the Don’ts.
Listen to the Shouldn’ts, the Impossibles, the Won’ts.
Listen to the Never Haves, then listen close to me.
……Anything can happen, child, Anything can be
To my knowledge, Silverstein did not intend for these lines of verse to have any spiritual overtones, but from my perspective, at least, they do.
Even those of us who gladly embrace the concept of being children of God sometimes struggle with finding hope. We find ourselves in difficult circumstances and then find ourselves clinging tenaciously to hope. We often feel like we’re being battered in a dinghy in the middle of a raging storm. But in reality, we are standing on the solid Rock of Ages – we may be battered, but remaining in Him, we cannot be moved.
Isaiah 26:4 tells us,
“Trust [confidently] in the Lord forever [He is your fortress, your shield, your banner], for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].” AMP
We know that is the case in our hearts, but our minds (and ears) aren’t always on board. We, the children we are, listen to the Mustn’ts and the Don’ts and the Shouldn’ts, Impossibles, Won’ts, and the Never Haves.
And though it may not have been Silverstein’s intent, after we’ve listened to them all, God calls to each of us and says, “Listen close to me. Anything can happen, child, Anything can be.”
Love…hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times]… v7c AMP
In love, there is hope, and having our love and hope in our Heavenly Father helps us remain steadfast even in the wildest of storms. He is love and in Him we can place our hope, sound and secure.
Jan 3rd, 2023, Wed, 12:35 pm
Love – Look for the Best in Each Other
A profitable day both at work and in the office. Thank You, Father, for the strength and mental ability to accomplish what I have!
1 Corinthians 13:7b (<<click here to read the passage)
Love…believes all things [looking for the best in each one]…
As a part of our personal development training today, my fellow bus drivers and I watched a video about how we, as adults, interact with our students. In the first part, all of the adults – the bus driver, the administrator at the door of the school, and the teachers basically ignored the kids – paying them no mind, or worse, derided them a majority of the time. They rode them constantly about their behavior and how poorly they were doing. The students’ actions were unacceptable, and they left no doubt in the students’ minds about it. There were no smiles, no encouragements, no love…whatsoever.
It drove home the point that students who struggle anyway would be throttled down even more. Their failure in school – and life – was all but assured.
Then, the scenario started back at the beginning. The bus driver called the student by name, acknowledging his presence with a smile and a warm greeting, then sent him with a fist bump to his seat. The administrator enthusiastically greeted each student with a smile and a hug for many of them, stating that she had been looking forward to their arrival. The teachers reacted the same way. This time, it wasn’t all about being quiet, but they encouraged their students to interact constructively with one another. Smiles abounded, encouragement was freely given…and there was love!
Instead of being throttled down, students were lifted up! Those struggling found encouragement on every front, and their success in school – and life – though not guaranteed, was more greatly assured.
As followers of Christ, we are to be eager distributors of love. Some of the people we interact with are definitely not easy to love. Some are literally in our faces, all but assuring themselves that they will get the same in return.
So, what should our responses be in not just difficult situations but all our interactions with others, young and old alike? Love…plain and simple love.
We may argue, “I know that the Bible commands me to love my neighbor as myself, but how am I supposed to do that if I don’t even like them?” Our love supply is limited. It’s weak, too. We don’t have nearly enough, and often, we are less than eager to “waste it” on the less-than-lovable.
Our source for a never-ending reservoir of love? God is that source!
Psalm 103:17 from the Amplified Bible reads,
But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who [reverently] fear Him…
His love is on us! We cannot keep it to ourselves! We must give it away in abundant supply! Let your love believe all things, looking for the best in each other!
Jan 2nd, 2024, Tues, 7:29 pm
Love Bears All Things
One last full day of break, thank You, Father, for time with family. Guide my thoughts for my time with You. Amen.
1 Corinthians 13:7a (<<click here to read the passage)
Love bears all things [regardless of what comes]… AMP
One of the most heart-wrenching things in life is where love is lost, where once it bloomed and thrived.
One example from life occurred to a family I knew some years ago. The family is not the same as it once was, in that one member chose self over love. I’m sure that it is not a stand-alone story but one that is too often played in the lives of people across the globe. The characters and circumstances change, but sadly, the outcome is the same. There is always loss and pain when self is chosen over love.
This family included a man, a woman, and several children. Young love was beautiful and plenteous. They did not have wealth, but love was the glue that held them together. The man of the house provided well for his growing family, and things were good…until…
I don’t know what caused their catalyst of change, but change did come. And in this instance, addiction was the result. Pain meds led to addiction, and the man of the house was caught in its never-ending grasp. For a time, he fought valiantly for his freedom…his family. Love fueled the fight; it gave him the edge when many things did not. But little by little, through many battles, self began to gain ground while love began to lose ground.
His beautiful wife stalwartly stood by his side. A warrior in prayer she was, love encompassing all she did. But loss and pain were her constant companions. Until finally, the gauntlet had to be thrown to the ground. A choice had to be made. The ultimatum was given: would love of family be his choice…or love of self? She was readied for battle, but sadly, he was not. He was done, and in his heart, love had surrendered to self. Where once there had been love…now only self reigned – the end…in so many ways.
I don’t know where self led him, but love was her guide, and she and her family carried on, strengthened by that love. God honored her love and multiplied it. And today, she is blessed beyond measure.
Today’s text declares that love bears all things, and it is amplified by the phrase, regardless of what comes.
This mom, though battle-worn, would not give up her love. She did not set it aside because of her pain and loss but grasped it all the more, for she knew that the source of her love, the Lord Himself, would not let her fall. She survived the storm because she was a child of Him who calms the storm.
Lord Jesus, may your blessings continue to fall on this family. May the prodigal who exchanged love for self someday come home. May we all learn that only love, Your love, will carry us through; it will bear all things…regardless of what comes.
Jan 1st, 2024, Mon, 7:43 pm