O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 107:1 KJV
Context:
Nothing is said about the person who wrote this psalm, but in the same vein as David's songs are written, we can see the full expression of the acknowledgement of God's person, power and prestige. It takes a personal encounter to be able to make such personal statements. It is when I have known God for who he is that I can serve and worship him for who he is. Have you met this true God? Can I also say that I have met this true God?
I cannot rely on other people's views and opinions about who God is. If all I know about God is what others say, when these people are no longer there, how do I sustain the relationship and keep the fire burning? Did you note that nothing is first said about what I can get from this God? We make the mistake of thinking that what we can get from God should determine how and why we serve. Until who God is to me is more important than what I get from him, i may not fully understand who God really is and what he expects from me.
Message and Response:
It is in the light of the above that today's extract makes sense. I am asked to give thanks to God, for he is good. It means that if I am truly in God, it does not matter what my experiences look like; it is the world that defines an experience as 'good' or 'bad', depending on its perception and what if pushes out as its alternate reality. When you deal with the good God, he does only good things.
Even when death comes, he says all things work together for the good of them that love him. Even in pain, loss and tragedy, God does not change his nature to fit the situation; he changes me from the inside so I can embrace all of him, even in the face of pain. It is a hard thing to accept sometimes but let it be settled in your heart: God only gives you that which he is and has, which is good.
My response to all that God is, does and gives must be thanks. Job said: even if he slay me, yet will I trust in him. That is a heart that is fully signed on to God, no matter what he brings. Can God trust my heart to be like Jon's? I have to also note that it was a choice made by man to submit to the deceit of the devil, and with sin comes a lot of tragedy. There are natural consequences that now follow man as we walk this path of humanity. We will grow old, and if the Lord tarries long enough, we will all die at some point in time, but there is something that will not stop as long as man's breath exists, and that is God's mercy.
God's mercy endures forever, and it is so because it is what has kept the world from being completely destroyed. Man has found novel ways to sin; things God punished Sodom and Gomorrah for are being celebrated in the world today. We keep thinking up new ways of hurting each other, but God's mercy keeps finding new ways of helping us live in line with God's will. We are alive due to that mercy. We are kept sane due to that mercy. We are what we are and have what we have due to that mercy.
However, we note that though today's extract says God's mercy endures forever, it is only good for those who have found God as their Lord. Mercy is God's nature and prerogative, but it is only good for a while as long as the earth as we know it remains. A time is coming when mercy for this earth will be withdrawn and only God's judgement will remain. At that time, nothing I am, hold or know will work, except the personal knowledge of God. I have to answer the question again: have you met this God, or is there another version of a god that you have been following?
Make sure it is the One God who is merciful, and make sure you respond to that mercy while you still have time. A day is coming when it will really be too late to cry for mercy. It is free now; it is available for all who ask for it. It is required for my walk of faith, and God will provide all that I need so I can be all that he has created, gifted and placed me to be. He will do his own bit; I have a choice to also respond to him. His time of favour is here.
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