His compassions

“It is because of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-24).  Praise God for His great mercy.  Tradition and religion have perverted our understanding of God’s mercy.  The Bible declares He is great in mercy.  We have been made to think that God’s mercy has a limit, but the Bible teaches that there are no limitations.  Psalms 103:11 states, “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.”   “…My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).  God is saying, “I am much wiser than you, I am much greater in understanding than you.  You think on a much lower level than I do.”  That is all true, but He did not say it in a judgmental context.  In verse 7 of Isaiah 55, God says, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”  Verse 8 goes on to tell us, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.”  God is saying, “I am merciful, I think mercifully, I act mercifully, but you do not.  You think and act judgingly and vengefully.”  God’s thoughts are much higher because of His great mercy.  Next we see God’s thoughts toward us.  Jeremiah 29:11 states, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”  Psalm 139:17-18 reassures us, “How precious also are Your thoughts toward me, O God, how great is the sum of them?  If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with You.”  Then God shows in Isaiah 55:10-11 the sureness of His mercy, promising His Word will not return void.  One translation of Lamentations 3:22 for mercy is covenant love or steadfast love.  God’s mercies are sure and steadfast.  You can count on them.  His ways and thoughts of mercy toward us are great and high above our comprehension or understanding.  God is thinking these thoughts toward us today and wants to demonstrate His ways of mercy in our lives.  Hope in His mercy today.  The Psalmist says, “Although my feet slipped, Your mercy held me up.”  Trust in God’s mercy today.  It will not fail.