- Plenty of Mercy
Psalm 86:5
For thou, Lord, art good and ready to forgive;
And plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
In Exodus 34:6, the Lord cut for Moses the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone for the second time; when He did so He passed by and proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Everything begins with the solemn proclamation of the essential character of God which determines how He feels and acts toward people. This same Gospel proclamation is repeated several more times in the OT as the bedrock principle upon which our life and relationship with God is based. The Gospel of God is repeated here with three words: “good, forgive, and mercy.”
God is good: that’s the basic truth upon which all life is lived. God created because He is good, and He created very good. His love is so good he created someone to love; He created a habitable planet for them to live on; He created a universe to set His world and His people into. He continues being good, kind and generous to the creatures He loves.
The basic goodness of God means He is ready to forgive. I do not have to wonder if God can forgive me or if He wants to; He is ready, willing, and able; this means I can be bold to approach Him any time in any condition. He will receive me, receive my prayers and listen to my pleas.
And more: He is plenteous in mercy, superabounding in mercy so much that He can cover and blot out our infinite sin against an infinite God. Therefore, we are bold to call upon him for any need, large or small: no sin or problem is too big for our Lord to deal with and take care of; no sin or problem is too small for our Lord to care about and pay attention to. A lot of mercy covers a lot of issues. His mercy is so great He gave His only Son to us. His mercy is so plenteous it never ends, even when He forgives us again and again for the same sins over and over.
When we tell God, “My bad!” God turns and says back, “My good!” Which one do you think wins?