Pleading For Mercy | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Pleading For Mercy | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lakella Davenport
07/30/24
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Pleading For Mercy

Mercy is unmerited, undeserved forgiveness, compassion, or withholding of punishment. We serve a merciful, forgiving and compassionate God. Jesus has shown us great mercy by laying down his life for us and offering us complete forgiveness for our sins and the gifts of eternal life and his Holy Spirit. As born-again Christians we are called to be merciful and pitiful toward one another. Mercy is an act of love and service toward our creator. Mercy is not an option. It is a requirement, a command from the Lord, our God (whose mercy we are called to imitate). “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8).

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him,” (Psalms 103: 8-11).

For the Bible tells us: “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy,” (Matthew 5:7). Mercy is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We are all called to have mercy, but there are those believers who have a more merciful spirit than others; a gift of mercy given to them by God (Romans 12:8).

The Bible is filled with stories of God’s everlasting mercy and forgiveness. Jesus was very merciful and compassionate toward those who called upon him and came to him for help. Besides Jonah, another story of mercy, I am reminded of is the story of Rahab, the harlot. This is a story of reciprocal mercy. For the Bible says, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.” Rahab is a harlot that shows mercy and compassion upon two Israelite spies, who were sent out by Joshua to spy out the land of Jericho (Joshua 2:1). She hid the two Israelite spies under stalks of flax on the roof of the house (Joshua 2:1-6). She pleaded with the spies to save her and her whole family from death when Israel came to destroy Jericho (Joshua 2: 12). The two spies agreed to save her and her whole family. She even told them where to hide a second time; when they were departing out of Jericho (Joshua 2: 12-16). The spies kept their word. Rahab showed mercy to the two spies and mercy was shown to her and her whole family (Their lives were all spared) (Joshua 6: 22-23).

Another individual who pleaded for mercy and was shown mercy is the Canaanite woman mentioned in Matthew chapter 15. She was pleading for mercy on behalf of her demon possessed daughter. “And behold a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him (Jesus), saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil: But he answered her not a word, And his disciples came and besought him, saying, send her away; for she crieth after us, But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour,” (Matthew 15: 22-28). This woman pleads for mercy again and again from Jesus and his disciples. She did not give up when Jesus did not answer her the first time. When Jesus gave her reasons why he wasn’t instantly answering her plea for healing for her daughter; she did not give up or lose hope. She responded in humility to Jesus’ responses to her plea for mercy. She didn’t get upset or offended by Jesus’ response to her plea, instead she began to worship him and acknowledged he was Lord and savior. As a result of her persistent faith, Jesus answered her plea and healed her daughter.

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