Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the House of the LORD forever.

Luke 1:72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant

WHAT IS GOD’S ETERNAL MERCY?
The eternal mercy of God allows for salvation, holiness and sanctification, and Holy Ghost baptism; all the evangelical graces with continual blessing and daily provision, and the hope of glory with Jesus the Christ our Lord. These graces of His Glory, bestowed through His mercy, are given because of His great desire to be with all His children.

MERCY AND PROMISE

God shared with Zachariah a great truth concerning the generation that will be just before the coming of the Lord. I call this the John the Baptist generation.

MERCY AND NEED

Jesus once shared a story with His disciples about two men who went to the temple for prayer. One was a publican, a civil worker, and one was a teacher or Rabbi. Both men had come to ask God for repentance of their sins. The Rabbi began his mechanical plea by thanking God that he was not like the publican who was standing close by. On the contrary, the publican, entered the Temple and began his plea by beating upon his chest with his fists in a sign of surrender and humility. He then made this powerful statement in prayer: “God have mercy on me, a sinner”. This publican, probably a foremost chief of sinners, first of all knew who he was; a sinner in need of repentance, and secondly a man in need of the mercy of the Lord. Like this Publican we must recognize who we are, sinners in need of the mercy of the Lord.

The Apostle Paul, who was the premier early father of the Christian church discovered his need for the mercy of God. Near the beginning of his ministry, as God was sending him forth on great missionary adventures he recognized himself to be the "least of the Apostles". Later in his ministry, as he was building churches and establishing people in the faith he recognized that he was "least of the saints". Then near the end of his ministry, he turned his attention to growing a new generation of ministers. And to one young minister in particular, Timothy, Paul wrote saying that he felt like he was the "chief of sinners". From a regard of greatness to an understanding of his wretchedness, Paul came to the place where he needed God's mercy. "whereby we might obtain mercy to help in time of need"

MERCY AND REPENTANCE
It is mentioned in Genesis that in the days of Noah and the flood; God shut the door to the ark and the people missed the opportunity to salvation. Noah however, found grace in the sight of the Lord for his faithfulness and Godliness while living in the midst of evil and wickedness. It is interesting to note, though, that even after Noah had completed the building of the ark, there was a seven (7) day period before God supernaturally shut the door. Why the wait? God had already announced the judgment upon the people; why not just finish the work immediately? The mercy of God was so eminent that even after pronouncement of judgment, God gave time for the people to turn unto him. God so desired to spend eternity with His people that He gave them ample amount of time.

Let us take a look at another story on how repentance leads to eternal mercy. Let us take a look at the Prophet Jonah. Jonah was called by God to bring a message to the people of Nineveh of imminent danger and destruction coming upon them because of their wickedness and sin. When the message was finally delivered, following an extensive journey through disobedience, it was received positively by the entire city and its rulers. The king of the city and its people repented with ash and sackcloth and the mercy of the Lord was released and salvation was bestowed. God's people were delivered from the wrath which was to come. Praise God!

MERCY AND DELIVERANCE
There is a deliverance still needed from an impending judgement. It is the wrath of a holy and just God. Nevertheless, let us remember from the prior examples that whenever God pronounces judgement, He also releases His mercy. “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5 KJV). King David declared that “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6a). The Psalmist also proclaims that His mercy endures forever. Mercy follows His children from day one, even through the dark times of His judgement.

As we turn to the Lord in the midst of our darkness, His mercy will come pursuing after us and be made manifest in ways unimaginable “above all that we could ask or even think”. It was David who witnessed the truth of this when he found himself walking “in the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:5). There, in the darkness of those deadly shadows, came goodness and mercy following after. The word “follow” here in the original Hebrew denotes the military term for pursuing an enemy or group that has taken off on the run either in retreat or for regrouping and is a command that the commanding officer would give to the troop(s). When we find ourselves in our most darkest moments and are running with chaos and confusion not knowing where to turn, God He orders His pursuit of eternal mercy. When mercy caught up to David there was found prepared a table before him even in the presence of his enemies with an overflowing cup of the blessings of the Lord.

There is still a judgement yet to come upon the whole earth nevertheless, the blessing of His mercy has been released for our eternal salvation.

MERCY AND WAITING

And so, let us do what Jude exhorted us to do “KEEP YOURSELVES IN THE LOVE OF GOD, WAITING FOR THE MERCY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THAT LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE.” Jude 1:21.  What do we do while we are in waiting? We are to show Gods mercy to others. God informs us in His word that He desires mercy. In that great sermon on the mount, Jesus declared "blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy".

By: Rev. Nathan Strom