When mercy has the final say

    In the Old Testament, we read the story of king Hezekiah, considered one of Judah’s most righteous kings. When he became king at the age of twenty-five, he restored Temple worship (2
Chronicles 29: 20-36), reversed his father’s idolatrous practices (2 Kings 18:3-4), and restored the celebration of the Passover (2 Chronicles 30). When the Assyrians came against Judah, he trusted in his God and God miraculously delivered them (2 Chronicles 32:1-23).
    Yet, for all his righteous and admirable acts, there came a time when Hezekiah faced certain death. He became sick with a fatal illness. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord instructed him to set his house in order because he was going to die, he would not survive. Hezekiah, in his distress, turned his face to the wall and cried out to God. He asked God to remember how he had walked in integrity before Him and how he had done good in His sight and he wept bitterly.
    Before Isaiah had even left the middle court, the Lord sent a message to him for Hezekiah. He told him that He had heard his prayer and seen his tears and He would heal him. He would also add fifteen years to his life!
    As I thought again about writing on God’s mercy, this story came to my mind. What I love is the reality of God’s love for us. Hezekiah had done a lot for the Lord, that was true. But when the time came for him to die and at the hands of an incurable disease, it seemed to him and everyone that it was the end. Even the prophet Isaiah, came to him with death news from the Lord. Hezekiah could have given up. He could have accepted his fate and allowed it to be the final judgement on his life but he did not. He cried out to his God and God heard him and gave a favourable response. Certainly, he put his case before God, reminding Him of all the good he had done and of his faithfulness to Him. 
    God is not an unreasonable God. In Isaiah 1:18a, He says: “Come now, and let us reason together…” God actually invites us to plead our case before Him. He is not so harsh that He refuses to listen when we speak. He is willing to hear what we have to say. In the case of Hezekiah, He could not help but acknowledge all that Hezekiah had done for Him. He not only listened but gave a favourable response. Right here, I see God’s mercy. God did not have to listen to Hezekiah’s plea for his life. He could have simply said, “It’s over. It’s time. There is nothing you can do or say to change my mind.” Yet, He didn’t just listen, He chose to listen and He chose to be merciful and spare Hezekiah’s life and add more years to him. Hezekiah’s illness did not have the final say, God’s mercy did!
    I think there are times when God’s mercy overextends itself. We can all probably think of times like this; times when we did not deserve a second, third or even fourth chance, but God gave it. I have experienced God giving me chances when I did not even deserve it, and, can I say, I certainly appreciated it! I think sometimes His mercy doesn’t even make sense but God is not concerned about what makes sense to us. He knows what is best and if He chooses to be merciful, just like Jesus was to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:32-43), then there is nothing we can do about it. Lamentations 3:23 says: “His mercies are new every morning...” His mercies are not new every week, or every month or every year, but every morning! It’s almost as if God does not want us to rely on old mercies. He makes sure that He renews His mercy every single day!
    In what ways has God shown mercy to you? How thankful are you that it is His mercy and love that are sustaining and keeping you? You don’t have to give in to despair when you don’t always get it right or when the situation seems irreversible. God’s mercy will sustain you and He knows exactly how to turn things around in your favour. In fact, His mercy has the final say, not the challenge you are facing. Isn’t it an amazing thing to have this much help from God? You don’t have to do life on your own. He is always there and He will always help us when we need it. Be encouraged!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. In this life, we all need a merciful God on our side. Challenges, temptations and situations will come to throw us off and upset us. But, when we turn to God, He will listen, He understands and He will answer. 
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