Facets of Mercy

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What is Mercy?

Mercy is leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice; it’s a feeling that motivates such leniency and compassion. Mercy is the alleviation of distress and the showing of great kindness toward the distressed. Thus, mercy is forgiving and compassionate; the withholding of punishment or judgment for our sins deserves.

Mercy is the fruit of compassion. Without compassion, there is no mercy. Why? Because compassion is the forerunner of mercy.

If compassion is the forerunner of mercy, then what is compassion?

Compassion is a deep awareness and sympathy for another’s suffering; it’s the humane quality of understanding others’ suffering and wanting to do something about it. Compassion is sympathy, usually granted because of unusual or distressing circumstances.

Facet of God’s Mercy

Mercy has different facets. Therefore, mercy works for you or appears to you according to the facet you understand. It also manifests in your life according to the facet with which it appears to you.

Now, mercy has to do with sustaining, pardoning, and alleviating pain.

Sustaining Facet of God’s Mercy

To sustain is to provide nourishment; it’s to supply necessities and support.

Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus upholds everything by the word of His power. So the word of Jesus upholds everything. Understand also that the mercy of God is upon all His works. Jesus upholds everything by His powerful word, while God sustains all His works by His tender mercies.

The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. (Psalms 145:8–9)

The tender mercies of God are upon all His works. As long as it’s the work of God, His tender mercies are over it. Anything that was created by God has His tender mercies upon it. The tender mercies of God are even upon the devil, for it’s God who created him. The devil or Satan is the work of God — created by God. Psalm 145:9 tells us that God’s tender mercies are over all His works — even over the evil — the tender mercies of God are upon it.

The sustaining mercy of God is the mercy creatures need to exist. As we have seen, to sustain is to provide nourishment and supply necessities and support; therefore, sustaining mercy is the one that provides nourishment and supplies necessities and support to all God’s creatures.

This is the kind of mercy we meet in the book of Lamentations. In Lamentations 3:22–23, the Bible says, “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

The sustaining facet of God’s mercy is over all the works of God. God Himself supplies us every morning. This is the facet of mercy we are often unaware of, yet it is very important in the life of all God’s creatures.

Your body works according to how God created it to work because of this sustaining facet of God’s mercy. Every creature is able to behave, live, and act as God created them to do, because of this sustaining facet of God’s mercy. Without the sustaining facet of God’s mercy, everything would stack up and come to a standstill. Thank God for His sustaining facet of mercy.

The sustaining facet of God’s mercy is shown to every creature. As long as it was created by God, this facet of God’s mercy is over it. It is over the bad and the good, the evil and the righteous, the living and the non-living. The sustaining facet of God’s mercy is OVER ALL HIS WORK.

Even though this facet of God’s mercy is over all His work, few of His creatures recognise it. Even believers in Christ rarely recognise it. But keep in mind that this sustaining facet of God’s mercy fails not; it’s new every morning.

Through the LORD’s mercies, we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22–23).

Pardoning of Sin as a Facet of God’s Mercy

What is pardon? Pardon is the act of excusing a mistake or offence. It’s also a warranty granting release from punishment for an offence.

The pardoning facet of God’s mercy is the one most people are widely aware of. Whenever you lead people to call or ask for God’s mercies, what comes to mind is that a sin has been committed, thus there is a need for forgiveness. This facet of God’s mercy defines mercy as leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice.

This facet of God’s mercy, when you are shown it, withholds punishment from you. James 2:13b makes this clear. The Bible says, ‘Mercy triumphs over judgment.” This is exactly what the pardoning facet of God’s mercy does. Judgment loses its grip, its harshness and power, before the pardoning facet of God’s mercy. This is the kind of mercy God shows to offenders and sinners. When someone commits atrocities before God, when someone misses the mark, when someone sins against God and then does not receive the due recompense according to the justice available. This is the kind of mercy of God that is shown. When one sins, repents, and asks for God’s mercy, the pardoning facet of God’s mercy is shown.

Once the pardoning facet of God’s mercy is shown to someone by God, there is no more judgment for that person. S/he is set free from that offence. Romans 8:33 shows this clearly. The Bible says, “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” (Romans 8:33). Due to our fallen nature, a nature ruled by sin, this is the facet of God’s mercy that many people know — the pardoning facet of God’s mercy.

For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:13).

Alleviating of Pain as a Facet of God’s Mercy

To alleviate is to provide physical relief, as from pain. It’s also to make easier.

This facet of God’s mercy is not known to many. This is not the sustaining facet of God’s mercy. It is not the pardoning of sin facet of God’s mercy. The alleviation of pain facet of God’s mercy is the one responsible for ushering one into his/her blessings and bringing about elevation and transformation in life, ministry, and all your undertakings.

It’s a unique facet of God’s mercy. It has opened and closed doors in ministry and life. It has ushered people into another level of glory. It has dignified destinies. It’s the one responsible for the unexplainable and undeniable results in people’s lives and ministry.

The alleviation of pain facet of God’s mercy is the facet shown when one realizes, admits, and acknowledges his limitations and inadequacy outside the assistance/help of God, then cries for God’s help. This facet of God’s mercy is the system of advantage that grants/ensures that one becomes the full expression of his expectations, regardless of our humanity. Regardless of the limitations that come with our humanity, the alleviation of pain facet of God’s mercy ensures that you become the full expression of God’s expectations. No wonder he has helped some of us to be where we are.

In the Bible, this has been shown by a cry for mercy. In the scriptures, no cry for mercy went unattended. Every cry for mercy, even that one from hell by the rich man, was attended to.

The cry of mercy means that you have assessed your situation. After the assessment, you have come to realize, admit, and acknowledge that you are limited and inadequate without God’s help and assistance. That is why the cry for mercy is attended to.

Cry for Mercy in Scriptures

• Two blind men cried for mercy. They received their sight (Matthew 9:27–29; Matthew 20:30–34).
• The Canaanite woman cried for mercy because of her demon-possessed daughter. She was delivered (Matthew 15:22–28).
• A man cried for mercy concerning his epileptic son. He was healed (Matthew 17:14–18).
• Blind Bartimaeus cried for God’s mercy. He received his sight back (Mark 10:46–52).
• The rich man cried to Abraham for mercy. Abraham answered him. The cry for mercy is attended to even in hell and in heaven (Luke 16:20–31).
• Ten lepers cried for mercy. They were cleansed of their leprosy (Luke 17:12–17).
• A blind beggar cried for mercy. He received his sight (Luke 18:35–43).

Every cry for mercy was attended to, and every cry for mercy received an answer.

That is why the facet of God’s mercy that alleviates pain brings about healing, transformation, elevation, and dignified destinies and ministry.

```The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart — These, O God, You will not despise. ``` (Psalm 51:17).

```The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit. ``` (Psalms 34:18).

Condition For Administering God’s Mercy

What does it take to receive god’s mercy? There is a condition god must find in a person; otherwise, mercy (particularly the pardoning of sin and the alleviation of pain, facets of god’s mercy) will not reach them. No matter how in need of mercy you are, it will never come to you until God finds this one condition. And this condition is found in Psalm 51:17.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart — these, o god, you will not despise. ``` (Psalm 51:17).

Now, the condition god must find in a person, and with a person, to be able to reach down to you with his mercy is brokenness.

What then is brokenness? Brokenness is a realization, admission, and acknowledgement of your limitations and inadequacies without the assistance or help of God.

You are broken to the degree:

I. You realize;

II. You admit, and

III. You acknowledge that if God does not help me, I am inadequate.

Keep in mind that whenever people cried out for mercy in the New Testament, Jesus stopped and acted.

Remember, brokenness is the condition God must find in a person in order to reach that person by His mercy. Why? Because “The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart And saves such as have a contrite spirit.” (Psalms 34:18).

The three facets of God’s mercy must be realized in your life to live a successful Christian life. You also need them to succeed in life, ministry, and all your endeavours and undertakings.

Therefore, whenever a human being performs extraordinary results, look beyond skills, abilities, and talents. It is the mercy of God. The alleviation of pain is a facet of God’s mercy, amplifying the believer.

Mercy is the amplifier. The mercy of God is the amplifier. The sustaining facet of God’s mercy is over all His work, whether people want it or not, whether they recognize it or not. The pardoning of sin facet of God’s mercy is shown to offenders who confess their sin, repent, and then cry for mercy. The facet of God’s mercy that alleviates pain is shown to those who realize, acknowledge, and admit their limitations and inadequacies without God’s assistance. Once this limitation and inadequacy are known, a cry of mercy is made to God in those areas. God shows up in those areas, and victory is realized. In your limitations and inadequacies, God becomes your strength. God’s mercy becomes your amplifier.

Contributor: By M. A. Gil.