His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. Luke 1:50
Have you ever been in the presence of someone so "powerful" that it keeps you on your mental toes?
When I was very young, my dad was that guy. As a boy, I wanted to be around him and do everything he was doing. If he was out in the yard, I wanted to help mow the grass. If he was building something in the basement, I wanted to be down there constructing a woodworking masterpiece. Yet, if I did anything wrong, I also wanted to keep my distance and not be within "discipline" range. I had the mixture of both feelings - loving him & being scared of him - all at the same time.
One of the powerful stories in the Bible is when Peter denies Jesus 3 times, and then is reinstated into leadership by Jesus in John 21. Three times, Jesus asked Peter to affirm his love. And three times, Peter responds with devotion to Jesus. In each of those three responses, Jesus calls Peter to live out his love by caring for God's people.
What I love about that story is how Peter was so quick to jump from the boat to get to Jesus, but trying to keep his distance from Jesus in the group. That's the picture of what fearing God looks like. It's a mixture of both loving Jesus enough to drop everything in pursuit of Him, yet scared of His authority and power over you. It's both love & weakness.
In our generation, we've tried to minimize that fear factor. It's common to watch people "face their fears" in order to overcome them and be afraid. It's often taught in families that parents should not be feared by their kids - minimizing the child's fear and reducing their respect of authority. We see more shootings and gang-related violence because the fear of punishment continues to drop. People expect to receive mercy, so the fear of consequences continues to fade away. Mercy is considered a right, instead of a special gift.
Healthy fear of God is not expecting mercy as a right. It's recognizing mercy is God's optional response. God doesn't OWE us mercy, nor is He boxed in and REQUIRED to give it to us. He is the authority, and we would do well to fear Him - to both long for the chance to be with Him yet respect His power & authority over our lives. Mercy isn't mercy if it's a right - it's mercy when it's given to those who HAVE no right to expect it.
What's amazing about mercy is how consistent it is for every generation. The same mercy extended to Peter as a gift from Jesus has been made available to every person in every generation - from Adam to you. It's not a right for the masses, but a personal blessing from God to you and me, specific to every situation and every sin. Jesus makes it available to us personally. But it does come with a condition - mercy is available to all of us, but it's useless if we don't accept it with fear and respect.
When you think of God's mercy, do you see it as a blanket "benefit" to all mankind, or do you see it as a personal transaction from Jesus to you? For Peter, he was fully expecting to be disqualified from leadership and reduced in his friendship with Jesus. Healthy fear put Peter into a position where mercy could be given, and he received it from Jesus with great humility and appreciation. We too need to come to grips with our sin (and our sins), and realize Jesus can choose to give us mercy or not - but if (when) He offers it, we are being blessed with a very personal gift.
Be grateful for God's specific mercies in your life - pay attention and realize just how personal and powerful they really are. YES, they are renewed every day. YES, God does offer us His mercies as a part of who He is. YES, they are for all generations. But show up in the presence of God realizing how personal His mercies are as well.
Maybe it will make us all want to jump out of our self-centered boats and swim like Michael Phelps to be with Jesus!
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