Do you ever have one of those days? You know, the kind where the pressures of life have been building within you and the volcano of emotion erupts, spewing out burning lava of hot tears, angry words, hurt hearts, and instantaneous regret. Or maybe you’ve had the kind of day where you’ve been coasting along, as if in an open convertible, enjoying the freedom that God has given over a certain stronghold in your life. But a sudden storm of life challenges you, and your immediate reaction is to close the roof, cower inside, and hide from the rain. Rather than reaching out to the One who gave you freedom, you find yourself entrapped by the very thing that once held you captive. Let’s face it; sometimes in our walk of faith, we stumble and fall. We may even revert to old ways of thinking and acting instead of relying on God. The beauty in all of this lies not in our human frailties but in the goodness of our merciful God.
Throughout the Bible, we read countless stories where God extends mercy and forgiveness to His people. In the book of Isaiah, many times God’s people neglected Him. They turned from His ways and looked to other nations and pagan gods. As a result, they were pursued and overtaken by their enemies. God’s anger burned against His people as well as their enemies. Talk about having some bad days! But the story doesn’t end there.
In His great mercy and compassion, God offers a redemptive plan to His people.
(Isaiah 30:18-19, NLT) So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help. O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries. Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, He will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.
God gave His people a simple plan: Cry out to God for His help. He will answer. He will teach you and guide you. He will restore you to a right relationship with Him.
It’s that simple for you and for me, too. Rather than allowing one mistake to snowball into an avalanche of disobedience and self-reliance, just call out to God. He will answer. He will teach you. He will guide you. He will restore you.
(Lamentations 3:22-23, NLT) The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His Faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.
By Wendi Bangerd
