One-a-Day...for the Heart: Merciful Conclusion
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning: great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV).
This is a great Bible verse to memorize because we often find ourselves in uncomfortable situations where human error botches something up, and we’re left holding the bag as we nervously hope that the Lord steps in to make things right. His mercy covers us at such times. He doesn’t have to, but because of His great love and compassion for us, His mercy fixes something gone awry.
Once, I was playing Here Comes the Bride at a wedding. The rehearsal went perfectly as the bride slowly and gracefully walked down the aisle. Timing for the song is critical. It must be completed simultaneously as the bride reaches her place beside the groom at the front of the church. I was shocked when the elegant, graceful bride from rehearsal broke into a lively sprint down the aisle, and I’d only played about four measures of the song! What to do? Miraculously, I heard myself making up an entirely never-before-heard ending to Here Comes the Bride, and I finished precisely the moment she came to a screeching halt beside the groom! I knew the Lord had mercifully helped me.
Leading worship is a great joy most of the time. I’ve done it for many years but recently passed the baton to others. I’ve had a few worship services that didn’t go as planned and were near flops, but the Lord mercifully covered my human errors, and the congregation kept singing (miraculously).
Not long ago, one of the new worship leaders enthusiastically led a song service using recorded music for each song on his list. The song selection was excellent, and except for a subtle audio problem, all was going well as the congregation stood to their feet and joined in praising the Lord. Before too long, it was obvious that the vocalists were not hearing the music, and the lyrics on their screen were not synchronized with the music. Uh-oh. The song leader was having difficulty communicating with the sound team while trying to sing, and the train was beginning to slide off the track.
At such times, our fruit of the Spirit shows, and the worship leader, a seasoned Christian, smiled, remained composed, and graciously motioned to the sound team to stop the music. The congregation was very forgiving, and the service ended sweetly as people with needs came forward for prayer and ministry. When we discussed the technical and musical difficulties that affected the song service, the worship leader’s calm response was, “…I decided to let it go and let it coast to its merciful conclusion.”
Merciful conclusion--I love that! It describes the instances when the Lord smooths out our foibles and failings. He seems to have many ways of helping us at such times—unending mercies. In fact, His mercies never do come to an end, and they are new every morning! Our methods to correct situations often fail; His never do.
One of the definitions of “mercy” is “a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion.” The most profound compassion God has shown is the mercy He extends to us when He covers our sins and washes us with the blood of His Son, bringing us to a glorious state of redemption and the promise of eternal life. He forgives us and withholds the punishment of death we deserve for being creatures of sin.
What an astounding merciful conclusion! If you’ve never received God’s mercy and forgiveness of sin, ask for it now. Perhaps you’re in one of those uncomfortable situations you’ve botched up, and your shortcoming may have unsettling results. God’s mercies never come to an end, and they are new every morning—for you! The Lord can fix it and create a divinely merciful conclusion. The MESSAGE Bible says God's loyal love couldn't have run out, His merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left (Lamentations 3:22-24).
© 2023, Chris Werre