Mercy is running

Lord, how great is your mercy; let me be revived by following your regulations. (Psalm 119:156)

As we contemplate this verse today, I would like to say there are definitely times when we need God's mercy, but we find it hard to ask. For some reason, our minds have us convinced our sin is too great, we have 'failed yet again', or there is so much shame over whatever it is we have done that we just know God is going to be heartbroken when we come to him with it. It may come as a surprise to some that God already knows what you and I have done, so any delay in seeking his mercy is pretty doggone silly.

I frequently find myself waking to words of songs traveling through my brain. It is like my soul wakes up praising God without me having to take conscious effort to do it. One such song frequently comes in those waking hours - a song by Phillips, Craig, & Dean - Mercy Came Running. The words that come so frequently? 

Mercy came running

Like a prisoner set free

Past all my failures

To the point of my need

When the sin that I carried

Was all I could see

And when I could not reach mercy

Mercy came running to me

Let those words really sink in this morning. Mercy came running - past all my failures - right to the point of my need. God already knows our need, and when we are too afraid or weary to seek his mercy, it is already making a beeline right toward our need! The sin we carry may weigh us down, making it almost impossible for us to see any way out of our shame and guilt. Remember this: When we cannot reach mercy - it is already running toward us. 

Mercy isn't based upon how we feel or whether we think we can find it. It is based in God's love and that always seeks the sinner and washes over our sin. You cannot forget all the weight of that shame, but you can be free of it when grace enters into the space it once occupied. We may not be making a beeline to God, but he is still making one toward us. Just sayin!