merciful God

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And I will have mercy on No Mercy,

and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’;

and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’

Hosea 2:23b

God is merciful to repentant sinners, giving His grace and renewing relationship with those who come to Him. For His covenant people Israel whom He exiled, God sent enemies to burn their cities, destroy their homes, and take their families captive to foreign lands. Yet God would again promise restoration. Although He would judge without mercy, He would also forgive and restore after their real repentance. To those who had rejected Him and become “not His people”, God would, in mercy, return them to His favor. God is a God of mercy and also a God of justice.

This is true in Christ absolutely. Although my sin makes me by nature one who is born an enemy of God, Jesus took my exile and my curse and returned me in mercy. And now I am a child of God, adopted into the King’s family and brought truly to my home in Christ. I deserved no mercy. I deserved eternal separation and punishment. But Christ has mercy for sinners who repent and believe the gospel!

And when I gather with fellow Christians, those who are now the people of God, we worship the blessing of His mercy and grace upon us. Praises are sung to a merciful God. The truth of His mercy and possession of us is proclaimed. Lives patterned after that mercy are on display to call more sinners to trust and receive mercy in Christ. God has mercy. We are His people. He is our God.