“He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” -Micah 7:18-19
Today, we awake to the full knowledge that we are unsure of what will happen. Our best laid plans seem to go up in smoke all too often. We are anxious about today and then on top of that we begin to wonder where God is in all of this. Is He paying attention? Does my little problems and big sins matter? Are they really on His radar? After all there are more important things going on besides my uncertainties and anxieties.
We carry so many burdens that we don’t need too. We wonder about things…like God…when we shouldn’t. We have at least a glimpse to our own guilt and that is heavy on us as well. All of this and it is not even 9 in the morning. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” (I Peter 5:6-7)
Minister and church leader, Alexander Whyte, told the story of an older saint who was nearly destroyed by guilt and shame. After a church meeting, the older man had lingered in idle conversation. Then, in what was meant to sound like a jest, the man said, “Now, Dr. Whyte, what word of comfort do you have for an old sinner like me?”
Beneath the man’s pasted-on smile, Dr. Whyte perceived the man’s deep agony and later wrote how the question took his breath away. This dear saint was old in the faith, but he did not have the peace of knowing God’s forgiveness.
Dr. Whyte said that he was unsure what to say, but crossed the room to where the man was seated, took his hand, and quoted from the prophet Micah: “Our God will delight to show mercy.”
Not much more was said between the two, but the next day a note came from the older man to Dr. Whyte. It said, “Those words you quoted were comfort to my soul. I will never doubt my God again. When Satan comes to convince me that I am unworthy of the mercy of God, I will say, ‘You are right, and you know not the half of it, but I have to deal with the One who will delight to show mercy.’”
This is for us today. If you have awaken to the anxieties of the day re-read this section from the Prophet Micah. Re-read Peter’s words to us and go earnestly to the Lord in prayer before you make one more move. My prayer for you this morning is this: Father, thank you for hurling all our sins into the depth of the sea! We ought not to claim any worthiness; only that we get to deal with the One who delights to show mercy. Father, I pray this for all of us today! In Jesus’s name, Amen!
God Bless.
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
