Many times he delivered them,
But they were bent on rebellion
And they wasted away in their sin.

Yet he took note of their distress
When he heard their cry;
For their sake, he remembered his covenant
And out of his great love, he relented.
He caused all who held them captive
To show them mercy.

When you start reading the Bible one of the things that is shocking is how poorly people behave including (if not especially!) the ‘saints’. Noah got drunk, Abraham lied, Jacob cheated, Israel complained, and David murdered the husband of a woman he essentially raped. Horrendous stuff!

And yet when the people of God cry out (read “pray”) He listens. Almost always they have to live out the natural consequences of their rebellion but he does show mercy. He didn’t allow his children to be completely wiped off the map.

The reason for this mercy isn’t that “they deserved a break” or that, by any accounting, they had paid in full for their sins. The one and only (and best) reason for merciful treatment is “his great love”.

You are loved, even when you sin, even while you’re grinding through the natural consequences of your rebellion. His love is great.

You’ve got some praying to do today! Perhaps it’s prayers of repentance for your rebellion. Perhaps you’re praying for someone else who is living like they’re not loved. Hold on to this: “His great love”. Pray from that certainty today. His love is great. Appeal to who He is, His character. He showed it to us on the cross. It’s the only leg we have to stand on.

Praying with you this day.

Andrew