Shofar Stellenbosch | Our FatherSample

Devotional: The Mercy of Our Father

God is merciful and He will show mercy to whoever asks Him- even the unjust. God’s mercy forms part of His goodness, out of which He shows compassion towards us instead of judgement. We cannot understand God’s mercy if we do not know His justice and judgement. (Ephesians 2:4, Psalm 136:1, Romans 6:23). God requires us to have mercy, which is also translated as “to have pity on” (Matthew 5:7, Matthew 9:27).

Testimony:

A massive drought hit the nation of Somalia in 2011 and I was moved by all the stories and problems that nation faced. One evening I read about this drought again and went to bed late that night. I was scheduled to have a very busy weekend of ministry and needed all the sleep I could get. The Lord woke me up 3 times that night and asked me a simple question: “What are you going to do about Somalia?” I was thinking about my busy schedule and wanted to make excuses, but could not ignore the Lord’s voice. The next day we started a campaign and one month later we had shipped 35 tons of water to Somalia. We also started a Christian relief organization out of this whole project. Visit www.relieflife.org.

Reflective questions:

1. List the things that you know you deserve judgement for, but where you need His mercy. Then honestly ask Him to have mercy on you.
2. In what areas do you need to walk in mercy with your friends, parents, siblings, etc.?