“All the people said to Samuel, ‘Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.’ And Samuel said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver… For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. Moreover, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and right way. Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.'” 1 Samuel 12:19-25
“If we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13
The Israelites had rejected God’s lordship by insisting on a king as the surrounding nations had. They’d been warned, and now that they had their way, they were warned again. The prophet Samuel repeatedly reminded them who God was, what He’d done for them, and to serve Him only. Their fickle faith had invited consequences, yet would not negate God’s faithfulness. (1 Samuel 8:4-20; 12:14-18)
And so it goes with us. The Lord is constant in love and care, and we flit about following fleeting wants and pleasures. He stands stable as benevolent Sovereign and we idolize lesser, transient gods. He is upright, holy, and wholly other, and we choose to be like others of the world. Willfully disregarding consequent mayhem, we are driven by selfishness until we’re beggars for mercy.
Our Lord abounds in mercy. Again and again He calls. He convicts. He comes to offer forgiveness and a renewed heart. His Spirit brings to mind His words and sparks fresh faith. And He constantly prays for us. (Ezekiel 36:26; Zechariah 1:3; Luke 22:32; John 14:26; 17:11-17)
What causes our grace-bought hearts to stray? Where have we exchanged God’s loving lordship for the tyranny of performance or attempted perfection? What good things have we elevated to ultimate things? When will we bring our stubbornness, idols, pride, to the cross? When will we ask Jesus to apply His mercy and free us to serve Him faithfully with all our heart? (Hebrews 4:15-16)
“What love could remember no wrongs we have done
Omniscient, all knowing, He counts not their sum
Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more
What patience would wait as we constantly roam
What Father, so tender, is calling us home
He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more
What riches of kindness He lavished on us
His blood was the payment, His life was the cost
We stood ‘neath a debt we could never afford
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more
Praise the Lord, His mercy is more
Stronger than darkness, new every morn
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more” ~ Matt Boswell, Matt Papa (2020)
Lord, help me live vitally in Your mercy, to Your praise.
As the rain and snow 