Just Mercy!

I couldn’t help but think further about a recent particular comment from one of the Weather Channel anchors as she reported on all of the utter devastation from the record breaking year of tornadoes. On at least two occasions, while reporting of the numerous leveled buildings, houses, and trees, along with all of the vehicles and personal belongings smashed and scattered among the splintered wood, and as she told of so many who had been injured and hundreds who had even lost their lives, she echoed the sentiments of so many in this year of unusual weather extremes: “Mother Nature, we need MERCY!” I will resist the urge to further address the problem of simply addressing “Mother Nature” (you can review one of my earlier articles—the 04-22-08 entry entitled, “Mother Nature vs. Father Creator!”). I have also written much about the fact that GOD controls the weather and has His way in it, as indeed HE should. HE is the ONE Who Created it all! The Creation does presently exist in less than an ideal state and is groaning even more, just as every woman does when in the travail of labor while waiting for the joy of the birth of a new life (see Romans 8:18-25). Indeed, today and every day we are in need of Mercy and not just mercy, but Just Mercy!

Isn’t it interesting how people think they know so much better than their Creator GOD? In our incredible age of knowledge and greater scientific understanding, there is that increasingly visible trap that many continue falling into—placing one’s self into the position of GOD. How often do we go around judging people and things as if our knowledge is perfect and our way is the best way for everything to be? Are we not all guilty of this, at least at times? Certainly, we all have some idea of relationships and situations that could be better; we are not living in the ideal world that GOD originally Created! It is not a problem and is indeed quite appropriate for us to see what needs to be fixed or improved, yet it does become a problem when our attitude comes across as if we are the ultimate judge of what is right and best. We should want and work toward what is right (or just) and best, yet we should also be people who love and exhibit an attitude of mercy! After all, are we not all fallible people and in need of mercy at times?

Justice is a wonderful thing and it is satisfying to see something being done right or even the appropriate judgment and punishment given to someone who has done wrong. We do not always want to only see mercy, which is “a withholding of judgment.” Consider some glaring and even recent examples: What about 09-11-01? That was the day when the United States and our way of life and freedom was directly attacked, immediately killing 3,000 people and leading to many more injuries and destruction of property and way of life. The self acclaimed mastermind of this horrific day—Usama Bin Laden—was a man who continued to foment hatred and look for ways and even encourage others to kill people and destroy their ways of living. Was it not just that this man was taken out of this life when he was recently discovered and failed to surrender (you may wish to even revisit my interesting testimony about this in a more recent 05-02-11 entry entitled, “Human Intelligence?”)? What about this high profile example of Casey Anthony, who is currently on trial for the murder of her two year old daughter, Caylee, who went missing nearly three years ago and was later found dead? Would it not be just for the life of one who has done wrong in taking the life of another to have their own life taken away or at least their freedom to continue living however they want? What if the mass murderer who perpetrated the 04-16-07 Virginia Tech Tragedy—Seung-Hui Cho—had not taken the cowardly way out and had survived? Would it not have been just that he be convicted and have his life ended or forever incarcerated by authorities? Would a mental health condition qualify such a person for some kind of mercy? There is not room to develop that further here, except to just get back to Just Mercy! 😉

Friend, do you not understand that it is through the Mercy of a Holy and Just Creator GOD that each of us are not thoroughly consumed (see Lamentations 3:22)? Consider what the Psalmist said in Psalm 130:3: “If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” Surely, we each need forgiveness when our lives are compared to the perfectly just standard! Forgiveness is available for the one willing to access this through the Person and Work of the Creator, Jesus Christ! The one accepting GOD’s means of forgiveness is then responsible to have a merciful and even forgiving attitude toward others (c.f. Ephesians 4:32). He or she should remember that in a world of perfect justice, no fallible, sinful human being could survive! We should examine the mandate that GOD gave to the prophet Micah in Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”

Just mercy or Just Mercy!? 🙂