Mercy is Falling
- Post published:December 10, 2021
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by Calven Celliers
We sure have had an abundance of rain in the last few weeks! What a blessing! As I stood at my window watching the rain falling on Tuesday evening, I suddenly found myself humming the tune of a well-known song that I don’t recall us singing in Church for a very long time.
Mercy is falling is falling is falling
Mercy it falls like a sweet spring rain
Mercy is falling is falling all over me
O Lord I receive your mercy
O Lord I receive your grace
O Lord I will dance forever more

In the book of Lamentations, the prophet Jeremiah laments over many aspects of the situation that the people of God found themselves in at that time, but sandwiched in the middle, we find his confident hope in the mercies of God, “22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” (Lamentations 2: 22 & 23NLT)
Mornings symbolise freshness, new beginnings, newness of life, cleansing and hope. Just as each new morning brings a newness of day, and fresh light that drives out the darkness of night, we can refresh our souls in the same way. With every dawn, we can look for the light of God’s presence to break through the darkness in our lives and feed hope into our souls. Mercy is a display of God’s abundant nature.
I remember as a child being taught that mercy is not getting what we deserve, and grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Throughout Scripture we can see that God’s mercy flows from His forgiving nature. He shows mercy when He is slow to anger and abounding in love. Mercy is not a benefit based on our merit but is a gift from God. Jesus made mercy an essential part of His ministry. He dined with tax collectors, healed the sick, relieved hunger, calmed storms, restored sight, and raised the dead. He is the full expression of God’s mercy to us. Mercy takes action. God gives mercy lovingly and He wants us to do the same. If you’re anything like me you’re probably going to make a lot of mistakes between now and when you get to heaven, and you’re going to need God’s mercy. But you cannot receive what you are unwilling to give. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew, “7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7NIV)
Each and every day we can feed on the great love, mercy, and faithfulness of God; every day we can remind ourselves that the character of God is full of perpetual mercy that never runs out or expires. Every day we can commit to extend the same mercy and grace that we have received from our Father in heaven, to those around us.
In closing I want to wish each and everyone of you a very happy and truly blessed Festive Season. This is the last NHCF blog post for 2021, and we’ll pick up again in the New Year.
God bless, be safe, and lots of love,
Calven