Mercy Misunderstood

By Alan MartinPart 1:Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Mercy is not an end in itself, for without a recipient it has no purpose. God's mercy is given only to those who fear Him, although He is willing to show mercy to everyone if they would. What meaning would mercy have, if it were automatically stamped upon someone with no appreciation? Some would like to think that the cross of Christ automatically atones every sin of every sinner, but this is not the case. Mercy, just like atonement, must be sought by faith. Only a recipient prepared to understand what is about to be received gives mercy true meaning; this is why God does not give mercy until sought out diligently by a sinner comprehending his need. The law must create a contrite conscience prepared to aprreciate this precious gift. Mercy offered before this preparation is as unfruitful as planting seed on fallow ground without first plowing. This is why God calls for repentance before forgiveness is given. If God were to show sinners mercy before thier repentance, they would never change thier ways. God's mercy has a goal, an end; this must be realized for mercy to have any real value. The psalmist wrote, "If Thou O Lord kept a record of sins, who could stand, but there is mercy with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared." Why would God want to give mercy that did not result in a restored relationship with Himself? Mercy only has value in its power to restore what has been lost or damaged."Mercy rejoices against judgment" in that it effects the end towards reunion rather than separation. Mercy is jealous for a restoration to occur; it is like a bride pining away for the bridegroom. A bride in her wedding dress, with no groom waiting for her is a great sorrow. Unreturned love is a burden that the world cannot hold up under; hope deferred makes the heart sick. Unless the end of mercy is a restored relationship, it is like a barren womb that can find no fulfillment without an embryo to nourish. The exiles in Babylon hung their harps on the poplars, because they were made to sing the songs of Zion, not merely to make noise.The plague of divorce sadly illustrates the pain which mercy can create. A spous who is ready and willing to forgive, is an open wound ready for salt to be poured in, if the object of mercy rejects the offer. Mercy is an oozing sore awaiting the healing process to begin; it is like a paralyzed limb without a purpose unless it can commune with the brain once again.This is why few men or women are genuinely merciful; it is too painful for them to endure. It is much easier to harden one's self against the disappointment of unrequited love. Jesus Himself felt the pain of such betrayal when He wept over Jerusalem. His compassion for them enabled Him to mourn the loss of their love, and grieve over their loss. Love only has meaning in being appreciated, and the perfect love of God was broken because so few had been able to comprehend it. Ironically, men deceive themselves into acting like everything is ok just to avoid the pain of strained relationships. They cause themselves to think that they care despite being without groaning, longing, pain and anguish associated with rejected love. When mankind became so corrupt that their hearts were filled with wickedness continuously, God was grieved that He had made them. What purpose was there in allowing men He had created to have fellowship with Him to live without interest in seeking Him. He was only able to find one man who could appreciate having a relationship with Him, and that man found favor in God's eyes. In essence the rest of mankind had died already, for they had lost the real purpose of their existence.

Part 2:God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but delights in showing mercy. How then can it be that only a few will enter heaven, while the majority will be cast into hell? It is because mercy must be received by a conscious longing to be restored to fellowship with the Eternal Father. Heaven and earth will rejoice in glory when the only ones left are those who love their God, who were longing to be fully restored to Him. There will be no more tears, sorrow, or pain; not only for us, but especially for God who has born our grief ever since man fell away from intimacy with Him.It hurts when people without understanding speak of a mercy without meaning, robbing it of its true purpose. They act as if they know the extent of the pain, and offer words as empty as the counsel of Job's well-meaning friends. This happens when we are told to forgive without restoration. Does God forgive without confession, and repentance? He loves, He waits, He groans, He's willing to forgive, but there must be contrition before He can release His blessing. God is plentiful in mercy and willing to forgive, but the condition of men's heart prevents the fulfilliment of His perfect love for them. He is forced to oppose the proud, though He would rather give them the grace only the humble can receive. His judgment upon Israel was preceded with the pitiful cry of "Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?"Consider the mercy personified in the father of the prodigal son. He is held out to all as the prime example of the precious mercy of God. Yet he is little understood, except for his outpouring of affection upon his penitent son. What of his years of groaning the loss of his son, whom he considered "dead!" Why do we not hear the revealing cry of his heart when he declared, "This son of mine was dead, and now he is alive; he was lost and now he is found." Not until the son had returned home was the Father able to rejoice! The Father must have lived with the pain of the loss every day, that's why he saw him from afar off. He could never get him off his mind, much less out of his heart. But until the son came close enough for him to release the love in his heart, he had to wait, to grieve, to mourn and to hope.I have attempted to share this same hurt over broken relationships, but with little benefit to anyone. There are those who are lost to me, they are as good as dead, because I cannot speak to them, nor see their face, nor know anything of their circumstances. If I did not care, there would be no pain; dead feelings feel no pain. Sincere individuals have said, "You just need to forgive," but how can you forgive someone who is not there? Mercy must be given to a person, not the air! Ah, someone will say, "You must be willigng to go to them." Why then does God wait for us to draw near to Him, then He will draw near to us? Why are we told that if we offend someone, we must go to them? It is so that they will be able to forgive us, to know that we are truly broken over our wrong. This is where mercy is so misunderstood. It must wait until a heart is prepared before it can be given. Luke 17:3 states, "If your brother sins, rebuke him, if he repents, forgive him." Only the person who has been asked for mercy, but refused to give it, will be condemned for being unmerciful. Many other will be unable to give the mercy they are full of because to offer it to those in their current state would be like casting pearls before swine. Pearls are formed by the irritation of sand, and mercy is formed a long time before it finds its place in the heart prepared to receive it.