Let Your Light Shine Day 20

Bless the LORD, my soul;

and do not forget all his gifts, who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with mercy and compassion. Psalm 103: 2, 4

I believe “mercy” is one of the most important concepts found in the bible. “Mercy” has many meanings, all of which apply when we contemplate God’s treatment of humanity.  Webster’s Dictionary describes mercy predominantly in three ways: “lenient or compassionate treatment”; “a blessing that is an act of divine favor”; and “compassionate treatment of those in distress”.  In this psalm God “crowns” us with mercy, meaning God “blesses us with Divine favor”. This type of merciful blessing is one of the many good gifts of God that we are called to remember. 

Jesus included mercy in the Beatitudes found in the Gospel of Matthew 5:7, “blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” In this context blessings are bestowed upon people who are “lenient or compassionate” towards others, and hopefully themselves too. This is Jesus illustrating the law of we “reap what we sow.” The law shows if we give out mercy in all situations of our life, we will equally receive mercy back from God. St. Paul writes this concept even more directly in Galatians 6: 7 & 9, “Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows...Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up.” 

What are we putting out into the world during this time of crisis? The psalm today promises that God will redeem us from the “pit,” which is an excellent metaphor for this COVID-19 pandemic. In this psalm we see God “sowing” into us goodness and blessing. He is giving us a model to live by. In turn, we must sow good gifts, mercy, and compassion to ourselves and those around us. Now that so many of us have been “social distancing” for nearly one month, it is getting challenging to be merciful. Patience is short, and frustration is growing. This is when we need to stop and remember the model of God’s loving treatment towards us. When we follow the model, and speak and act kindly to ourselves and those around us, we will receive the “harvest” of mercy and blessing that we so desperately need right now.  So today, join me in praying the Prayer that Jesus taught us:

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.”