Grace and Mercy
“But Lord, your nurturing love is tender and gentle. You are slow to get angry yet so swift to show your faithful love. You are full of abounding grace and truth.” Psalms 86:15 TPT
“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” Psalms 86 NKJV
At The Wilderness Place you will hear us pray a lot concerning grace and mercy. These words are so powerful, yet we can hear them and not fully grasp the value of their meaning. Let’s discover the truth behind these words and how important they are for us.
Let’s start with mercy. The Hebrew word is Hesed which means “steadfast love.” This steadfast love is unwavering, loyal, and true. Mercy combines love and faithful loyalty. Pastor Tim reminded us yesterday Abba does not do abandonment. His mercy towards us is a firm foundation. He NEVER moves away from us. Even when we walk away and deny His love, Jesus is steadfast in His mercy towards us.
The Greek word for mercy is eleos. This word is derived from the word olive oil. Olive oil was used to treat wounds. Mercy is the comforting love of Jesus that sooths and heals our broken hearts. Picture Him pouring His mercy like oil over your broken heart.
The Hebrew for grace is khen and it can be described as delightful or favorable. An example I read referenced the story of Esther. She is going to approach the king of Persia to ask that she and her people are spared from death. What she did was a request for khen and because the king delighted in her and favored her the request was granted. Jesus gives us the gift of delight and favor. He looks at you throughout each day and night with such delight.
Grace in the Greek is charis which means favor, freely given, always leaning toward. I love this description of Jesus always leaning towards us. Most of us have heard it’s meaning as unmerited favor, but it is so much more than favor. It is compassion for every circumstance. He orchestrates things in our lives to bless us and show His love for us. He walks us through trials with such grace. Some of us have faced very painful and hard things but it was His grace that walked us through it.
“So now we draw near freely and boldly to where grace is enthroned, to receive mercy’s kiss and discover the grace we urgently need to strengthen us in our time of weakness.” Hebrews 4
Draw near to Him today and receive the beautiful gifts of grace and mercy for your family, your children, for your vision to see your life like He sees it, and for your hearing of His voice in each moment of the day.
Abba, we come boldly to the fountain of grace and mercy today. We stand under the flow of your healing oil has it pours over our hearts that have been broken by various circumstances. We let you love us like you want to. Kissing us and holding us just like the amazing Father you are. Teach us to soak in these words and know no matter what lies ahead we are wrapped in grace and mercy. Just like a butterfly who comes out of her cocoon we will emerge from the brokenness into the joy filled, radiant one who will be set on a hill to see our communities changed. We freely give what we have freely received.
