Psalm 57:1: “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! / For my soul trusts in You; / And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, / Until these calamities have passed by.”

March 3rd, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

When life becomes too crazy, we need only run into our heavenly Father’s arms. That is where David ran; but because he was a man after God’s own heart, he understood his own personal lack of righteousness and the conflict that caused when compared to God’s holiness. So he careful started out his song by twice asking God for mercy. We all need to come to God over and over again for mercy, just as David did so long ago.

There is a story of seeking mercy that goes back to 1812, when Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte led the French invasion of Russia. A French soldier’s mother approached Napoleon, seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a capital offense, twice, and that justice demanded death. “But I don’t ask for justice,” the mother explained. “I plead for mercy.” “But your son does not deserve mercy,” Napoleon replied. “Sire,” the woman cried, “it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for.” “Well then,” the emperor thoughtfully answered, “I will have mercy.” And he spared the woman’s son. As we continually come seeking mercy from God Almighty, we can expect Him to be much more merciful than any human being. We need to make mercy something we often extend to others and something we often seek for from the Lord of all the earth.

“LORD, we are told You are full of mercy, so we come trusting in Your character and expecting mercy again this day.”