Father of Mercy

Because our God authored Mercy, He has the authority to visit individuals, regardless of their dire circumstances or foolish actions. Mercy in the courtroom equals a judgment of pardon. As a policy however, mercy allows such a freedom of action that it beckons a person to the very seat of God, to surrender to mercy’s reality, in spite of shame or guilt, in order to commune with Him, face to face.

“there is a God, there always has been. I see him here, in the eyes of the people in this hospital corridor of desperation. This is the real house of God, this is where those who have lost God will find Him… there is a God, there has to be, and now I will pray, I will pray that He will forgive that I have neglected Him all of these years, forgive that I have betrayed, lied, and sinned with impunity only to turn to Him now in my hour of need. I pray that He is as merciful, benevolent, and gracious as His book says He is.”
― Khaled Hosseini .goodreads.

He is.

“The power of just mercy is that it belongs to the undeserving. It’s when mercy is least expected that it’s most potent…strong enough to break the cycle of victimization and victimhood, retribution and suffering.”— Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

Unexpected?

James Stalker writes about the conversion of Saul. “this one moment of Paul’s life was perhaps larger than all his previous years. The glare of revelation was so intense that it might well have scorched the eye of reason or burned out life itself, as the external light dazzled the eyes of his body into blindness.”

Mercy enables a vision of what is not seen, blinds the eye to sense-tainted human thinking — introspection, guilt orientation, past-life preoccupation, defense mechanism, personality masking, etc.

Jesus, Himself opened dialogue with Saul, obstacles now removed.

“Night is a time of rigor, but also of mercy. There are truths which one can see only when it’s dark”
― Isaac Bashevis Singer

This brings us to Moses sighting of a burning bush.

Exodus 3:2-4  explains, “And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 

I am amazed at how God speaks to bold sinners. Among such are Baalim, the false prophet, Abimelech, the heathen king, Simon the sorcerer, and of course Saul the Christian slayer. Moses had murdered a man.

But,

Micah teaches us to “love mercy” in 6:8, and that God delights in mercy, in 7:18. Mercy rejoices over judgment in James 2:13. We are to come to it’s throne boldly in Hebrews 4:18.

I have long thought of mercy as the “great equalizer.” In mercy, every discrimination pertaining to mankind is erased. Remarkable. Every sin removed, all and any criminal defect expunged.

Frankly, cleansed by the blood of Christ in abject blotting out without a trace, sin is finally digested as having had encompassed our entire being.

Friends, to meet the Father of Mercy means death — death to sin, to self. Saul dies to become a missionary, Moses dies to become God’s representative. Gideon died to lead his people.

Lastly, the High Priest of Leviticus 16 approaches the Holy of Holies where the mercy seat was housed. He put his life on the line to enter. He took blood with him. Sprinkling this blood before and on the mercy seat itself, atonement was made for the sins of a nation. The mercy seat was incomplete without the blood.

It all brings us to a focused point of bright light — The propitiatory, Jesus Christ Himself, spilled blood on Calvary’s tree, the blood of “at-one-ment”, unifying mankind in a face to face with God. All in mercy’s ever-reaching effect.

The brightness of it’s light, of it’s moment in time, has shaken the universe permanently. Ending the reign of Adam’s sin, with all of it’s varied seductions and manipulations, hypocrisies, and fraud. Ending the reign of Darkness’ domination of deceived mankind, The blessed Savior, who brought grace and truth, speaks to all of mankind, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.”. Love ya