BLOSSOM MINISTRIES
Preparing women to bear fruit...
Mercy Has Been Served
Mercy Has Been Served
Last fall Melisa and I drove to Ocean Shores, WA for a women’s conference. During one of the sessions I expressed frustration over a familiar struggle in my life: the anger I feel when life is unfair to myself, people I love, or within the church. Yes, I hear my mother’s voice echo the phrase, “life is not fair” from my childhood, but sometimes it seems like those of us following the rules never get ahead and the wicked triumph. I desired to have this frustration relieved and asked for prayer that God would remove my anger. Instead, Melisa commented that perhaps this anger is not so much an inappropriate emotion as it is an indicator of a passion to see justice upheld in my world. Her encouraging words spun something that I had always perceived as being negative and brought new purpose and meaning to the emotion behind it. The truth is we all know our world isn’t fair and justice is not often upheld or served in our lifetime but that doesn’t mean that the eyes of God miss the injustices around us.
I was meditating on this concept recently when the lyrics to a familiar modern hymn came to mind:
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
The phrase, “why should I gain from his reward” stood out to me because it highlights the seemingly unfair nature of God to forgive our rebelliousness. The real injustice of humanity is that we created beings turn our backs on our creator all the time.
As a human race, we walk away from his eternal love and take for granted his supreme patience and single-minded devotion to wooing our hearts. It occurred to me that when God provides forgiveness and redemption to our undeserving souls the injustice of that love is so paradoxical that I have a hard time simply accepting it.
Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.
~ Eph 2:3-5
Our faith is one where opposites attract; it defies logic. You must come in last to be first, you give away all that you have in order to gain everything, and you must die in order to live. It therefore follows, that our designer would take the least of us to become the greatest of us. The least deserving are the ones most thankful for the pardon. In the end, I foolishly take my life into my own hands when I allow my tendency to rebel against injustice to build a wall against accepting the mercy of God on my soul. Eventually, I have to just choose to be grateful that it has been extended to me. Without it, I’m lost.
The eyes of the LORD roam over the whole earth,
to encourage those who are devoted to him wholeheartedly.
~ 2 Chronicles 16:9a
Yes, our world is unfair. Nothing in this lifetime is going to change that. But we serve a God who sees the big picture; who bestows upon us the freedom to choose and will ultimately bring about real justice in our world.
or envy those who do wrong.
For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will
shine like the noonday sun.
~ Psalm 37: 1-6
~ Jana Waddell