God's Mercy Endures Forever

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

 Psalm 136:1

If you have read Psalm 136, you likely realised that all 26 verses repeat the same phrase:  "For His mercy endures forever."  What I find compelling about this song is how the Psalmist emphasised the endless endurance of God's mercy through what God did in the past.  We could never use this technique with people for as we all have witnessed, people change.  One of God's eternal attributes is He does not change (Mal. 3:6).  Believers can therefore say with complete assurance God's merciful character revealed in the past will extend to us, following generations, and continue unabated forever.

This Psalm serves to stir up remembrance, to direct our thoughts to the marvelous workings of God to deliver His people of their oppressors.  The Psalmist carefully chronicled the mighty works of God in the past so that whatever a reader might be facing, in looking back they could advance forward in faith.  Even with the constant repetition of this Psalm, we humans have a propensity to forget.  We often interpret our current circumstances from the perspective of our pain, disappointment, and confusion and therefore forget God's mercy extended to those who rely upon Him.  We tend to keep records of wrongs and wonder if God has forgotten to be merciful or gracious.

It is a wonder how thanksgiving to God changes our view from self-centered depression to God-praising joy.  Remembering the great things God has done for us causes our struggles and own plans to melt away into assurance of God's goodness and mercy towards us.  God has been merciful to us, and His mercy endures forever.  Let us praise the LORD and give thanks unto Him, for He is good.  His goodness is revealed in His mercy which endures forever.  Take some time today to consider God's tender mercy towards you in the past.  Hasn't He been good?  He is being merciful towards you right now, whether you recognise it or not.  He will continue to be good, for He is worthy to be trusted and obeyed.

When Tragedy Strikes

Yesterday the shock death of cricket batsman Phil Hughes rocked Australia and the cricketing world.  Hit on the pitch by a bouncer whilst batting on the pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Hughes passed out and never regained consciousness.  He was only 25 years old.  He will be remembered as a rising star whose massive potential was never fully realised, his life tragically cut short playing a game he loved.  My thoughts and prayers have been with his family, friends, and folks in his hometown of Macksville.

Tragedies strike every day which are not reported in detail on the news or websites.  Countless, nameless people across the world die on a day and perhaps in a way they could not possibly have expected.  Such a shock occurrence rightly causes a young person to be introspective and consider his own mortality.  In our world, the bowlers keep bowling, the batsman keep swinging, and the international test matches keep coming.  Some people won't be able to shrug off the tragic passing of Phil, but many will.  They too will have their days come to an unexpected halt.  My hope is that Phil's passing would be redemptive for all people, that they would daily live life to the full, and find their hope in Jesus Christ.

I understand that most people in the world were likely fine with what I have written until the last phrase.  But without apology I simply must write it, for I have found no other hope in the world concerning death than through faith in Christ.  There is no peace, no joy, no hope for a glorious future apart from Him.  People have been playing sport at a professional level for years, but their accomplishments fade and are forgotten.  Great warriors and athletic legends of the ancient world are virtually unknown.  In a mere century - in a world some believe to be billions of years old - grand final winners are all who celebrated them are gone and forgotten. Yet the name of Jesus Christ is still on my lips as the Champion of eternal life.  He is the only One who rose from the dead, and He gives forgiveness, life, and freedom to all who trust in Him.

In this world there is not a shred of hope or comfort for those who face the grim spectre of death.  Time does not heal, and lives are like flowers which bloom one day and wilt the next.  It gives me no joy to think of a man becoming a star, or looking down at me from some heavenly perch.  How does that touch my grief?  When a cousin of mine died suddenly from a bee sting, I cried and cried.  I visited him in hospital, but what could I do?  My tears couldn't change anything for him.  After he passed, the outpouring of support at the viewing and memorial couldn't undo what had been done.  The gracious words and heartwarming memories could not raise him from the tomb.  His tragedy remains a tragedy.  Yet the kind words spoken, the tears, hugs, gatherings, and quiet moments alone thinking have the power to forever alter a man's thinking by a desperate search for life, comfort, and redemption found only in Jesus.  Tragedy can be the path to self-examination, re-evaluation of priorities, and to consider our longing for love, life, and a joyful future which extends beyond our graves.

All this, my friends, is what a relationship Jesus Christ does for a person.  Jesus gives hope to the hopeless, life to the lifeless, and a future for the doomed.  He will give us beauty for our ashes, and those who repent and trust in Him are assured of His presence forever.  You need never be alone in grief, sorrow, fear, and loss.  When women faced the shock death of their brother, Jesus assured Mary and Martha that their brother would rise again. John 11:25-26 says, "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. ²⁶ And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"  All who do believe this experience peace, joy, and hope the world cannot provide nor know.  Do you know the peace of God, even though the tears may fall?  No matter how deep our suffering or how great our loss, we can cry out to God for comfort and help in time of need.  Psalm 130:1-2 reads, "Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD; ² Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications."  Shall not the God who created ears hear?  Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps. 30:5)

Be Somebody!

Have you ever left a dish in the sink thinking, "Somebody will wash that?"  Sometimes we notice a chore hasn't been done for a while and say out loud, "When is somebody going to...?"  When those thoughts are running through our minds, it's easy for us to overlook the most qualified candidate:  ourselves!  Doesn't God clean up your messes sometimes even without you asking?  We are aware of the need, are convinced it should be done, and our observation reveals desire to see the task completed.  So what stops us from being "somebody?"

Years ago, I was taught a great life lesson by my pastor.  Along with a group of people from church, my pastor and I helped a family in need move house.  I found it exciting to help meet a person's need in a practical way.  After completing the move I said, "You know, what a great opportunity for ministry.  Somebody should start a helps ministry to aid people in practical ways."  With a twinkle in his eye, my pastor turned to me and said something basically like, "If you think someone should do it, why don't you do it yourself?"  I did think somebody should do it, and in that moment a "Helps Ministry" was birthed at our church which continued for many years.  I began coordinating a group of us from church who helped countless people move, we roofed houses, did basic handyman repairs, and even odd jobs like removing dead opossums from under a trailer!  It wasn't glamorous work, but we used our gifts and even our trucks to help others for the glory of God.

So when you think somebody ought to be doing something, why can't that somebody be you?  Every day you have the opportunity to be somebody who goes the extra mile, does a little extra to bless others, and is governed by God's grace and love - without even keeping track.  If we are serving others as unto the LORD, affirmation from others is never the fuel we require.  The strength, peace, and comfort from the Holy Spirit is the only "Well done!" we need!  That's the wonderful thing about being that special somebody:  in seeking to bless others we are the ones who are blessed most.  How about it?  If you are willing, today and every day you can be somebody!

God is Consistent

The God revealed in both the Old and New Testaments are one and the same God.  To claim otherwise is to ignore the ample evidence of God's holiness, righteousness, goodness, grace, justice, love, and vengeance portrayed consistently throughout scripture.  One aspect of God's character is He does not change.  He says plainly to His people in Malachi 3:5-6, "And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien -- because they do not fear Me," says the LORD of hosts. ⁶ "For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob."  Men change, but God does not change.

God had made a covenant with His people to which He remained true, despite their departure from Him.  They were disobedient, unholy, and filled with unbelief.  God's people demanded to have a king established over them in his place, and He granted their request.  The majority of these kings were wicked, idolatrous, and did not fear the LORD.  God chastened His people to test them, to move them repentance, so they might return and be restored.  In both the Old and New Testament, people are very much the same.  God reached out to them with open arms, inviting them to trust in Him alone, but they were not willing!  Though they rebelled and broke their promise made with God, He still looked upon them favourably.  Even when wicked Johoahaz sat on the throne, God remembered and kept His promise to them - though not entirely for their sakes.  2 Kings 13:22-23 reads, "And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. ²³ But the LORD was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and regarded them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence."

What would you give to receive God's grace, compassion, that He would regard you, neither destroy you or cast you from His presence?  These are blessings and benefits we could never earn.  Yet Jesus has freely offered all who will repent and trust in Him a new covenant sealed with His own shed blood on the cross:  He will be our God and Saviour if we will repent, trust Him, deny ourselves, and follow Him.  Even as God ministered grace to the children of Israel who had forsaken Him for the sake of His covenant, so God expresses love and favour to us because of the new covenant He has established through Jesus Christ.  If you believe God is a make-believe entity contrived by man, this promise means nothing to you.  But realise Jesus was not a mere man.  He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin in fulfillment of scripture, lived a sinless life according to the Law, performed signs and wonders confirmed in the sight of multitudes, died on a cross, and rose from the dead in glory three days later.  The facts have not been changed, and there has been no revision of history.  None of these things were done in a shadowy corner.  The vast historical and biblical evidence is staggering.  If Jesus indeed came to earth with His claim of divinity, said the things He said, did the things He did, rose from the grave, and ascended to the Father, then Jesus is truly the Son of God.  And if Jesus is the Son of God, He has a Father who has made Him the judge of all living and the dead.

This was Paul's conclusion as he held forth the reality of the one true God in Acts 17:24-31.  God has appointed as Judge the same one through whom we receive eternal life.  "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. ²⁵ Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. ²⁶ And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, ²⁷ so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; ²⁸ for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' ²⁹ Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. ³⁰ Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."

God has not changed.  He still holds out an invitation to forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ.  He is gracious towards you, has compassion on you, and regards you - even if you have suffered oppression from your foolish wanderings and unbelief.  Turn your eyes and heart to Christ, for it is through Him alone we receive of God's everlasting covenant.