Adar 14
A Hand of Mercy
“How
blessed are those who show mercy! for they will be shown mercy.” (Mat 5:7 CJB)
Some
years ago, a young friend of ours felt an “urgent need” to stop and pick up a
hitch-hiker, while on her delivery route in a town about 100 miles away from
her home terminal. After arguing with herself
for several miles, she turned her truck around, and went back to where the
older black man was still standing by the side of the highway. The two of them had a conversation for several
minutes, after which Louis was invited to ride along for the remainder of her route.
It
turned out that Louis was a mature believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, spending his time traveling from coast to coast, ministering as the Creator
would direct him to. The majority of the
people Louis reached were fellow “thumb-travelers”, bums (as some folks would
class them), and the homeless, destitute people that make up a segment of our
society many of us tend to ignore. Louis
did attend our congregation while
sojourning in our town, and was a blessing to all. Where he came from, what his background was,
and where he was headed was not known; what was obvious was the love for our Creator that Louis had, along with
a love and compassion for his fellow man.
Mercy flowed out of Louis; he
had a gentle, kind spirit, and a burden for "the forgotten people" that was
evident.
One
of the Hebrew words translated as “merciful” is the word chânan (Strong’s H2603), and is a vivid and colorful word. Besides meaning “merciful”, it means to show
great favor, to be gracious, kind, and gentle.
Mercy is always action; we
cannot look upon someone in need, in misery, lonely, and in pain, and say that
we love YHWH, that we belong to Him, and then do nothing to alleviate that person’s
need (see James 2:15 ,16
“For I was hungry and
you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a
stranger and you made me your guest, I needed clothes and you provided them, I
was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me ... Yes! I
tell you that whenever you did these things for one of the least important of
these brothers of mine, you did them for me!” (Mat 25:35, 36, 40 CJB)
“For the judgment is
without compassion to the one who has shown no compassion. And compassion
boasts over judgment.” (Jam 2:13 ISR)
ABBA, Father, I am asking You to help me, help me to always remember
the love You have shed abroad in my heart through the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit.
Help me to remember that if it were not for You, my El Rachum, my
Elohim of compassion, I too would be hitch-hiking across the highway of life,
never knowing where my next ride would come from, or even where I would end up. Help me to show mercy, help me to remember
that through Your mercies that are
new to me every morning, I can extend that hand of mercy to others around me. In the Name and authority of my Messiah, Yeshua
of Nazareth, I pray …
©2018
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