What a wonderful, loving Father the Lord is to His children!  He loves us with a love so strong that we cannot even begin to fathom it!

And yet, there are so many people that avoid His presence because they believe that He is angry with them. Somewhere along the way, they have messed up, tripped up, or flat out failed the Lord, and they can’t bring themselves to come before Him because they think He wants to punish them for their actions.

Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever messed up over and over or struggled with that same old sin, then felt as if you couldn’t come before the Lord?

Well I have some great news for you! The Lord is not angry with you and He wants you to come to Him so that He can show you His great love!

Micah 7:18 (AMP) says, Who is a God like You, Who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retains not His anger forever, because He delights in mercy and loving-kindness.

The Lord delights in mercy and love!

The New Living Translations says the Lord …delights in showing unfailing love. And the Living Bible says He …loves to be merciful.

But my favorite version of this verse is in the Message Bible:

Where is the god who can compare with You – wiping the slate clean of guilt, turning a blind eye and a deaf ear, to the past sins of Your purged and precious people? You don’t nurse Your anger and don’t stay angry for long, for mercy is Your specialty. That’s what You love most.

Mercy is God’s specialty. Showing mercy is what He loves most!

I don’t know about you, but knowing this truth thrills me! I find I’m always in need of His mercy, so I cling to this verse.

Mercy is so much more than just God’s forgiveness and forbearance toward us.  According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, two of the Hebrew words translated as “mercy” are chesed and rechem.

Chesed means: loving-kindness; steadfast love; grace; mercy; faithfulness; goodness; devotion. And rechem means: bowels; womb; mercy. Rechem gives the picture “of ‘tender love,’ such as a mother has for the child she has born,” (Vine’s).

I love that!

The Lord God Almighty and Creator of the Universe has a tender love for you – in the same way a mother tenderly loves the child of her womb! Yet His love for us far exceeds any human love!

His steadfast, unfailing love includes tenderness, mercy, grace, faithfulness, goodness, and devotion. He delights in showing these qualities to His children! He delights in showing His mercy and unfailing love to you!

So, I want to encourage you the next time you slip up, fall or fail, don’t withdraw from or avoid the Lord’s presence. Don’t run from Him – run to Him. He wants to take you in His arms, love on you, show you His tenderness, forgiveness and mercy.

Showing mercy and unfailing love is what God loves most. He delights in it. Mercy is His specialty!

Psalm 107:1 O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good: for His mercy endures forever.

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