Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: GRACE (02/12/26)
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TITLE: Nevertheless | Previous Challenge Entry
By Rhonda Barber
02/19/26 -
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“Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful.” — Psalm 116:5
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” — Psalm 103:8
Nevertheless.
It is a small word, but it carries the weight of redemption. It interrupts disaster. It stands between rebellion and ruin. It refuses to let failure write the final sentence.
Psalm 106 tells the story of a people who had seen miracles — seas parted, bread from heaven, enemies defeated — and yet forgot.
“They soon forgot His works” (v. 13).
“They forgot God their Savior” (v. 21).
They envied. They rebelled. They worshiped what their own hands had made. They despised what God had promised. It is not a flattering portrait.
And yet verse 8 says something astonishing:
“Nevertheless, He saved them.”
Not because they were consistent.
Not because they remembered.
Not because they deserved it.
Nevertheless.
The psalm continues, “Many times He delivered them, but they rebelled… and were brought low for their iniquity” (v. 43).
Many times.
Deliverance was repeated. So was rebellion.
If we are honest, this rhythm feels familiar. We resolve to trust. We drift. We cry out. We forget. We promise again.
But verse 44 reveals the heart of God: “Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, when He heard their cry.”
He heard.
He regarded.
He relented according to the multitude of His mercies.
Grace does not ignore sin. God is righteous. Psalm 116 reminds us of that. He is not only gracious, but He is also righteous and merciful. Psalm 103 declares He is slow to anger and abounding in mercy. His holiness is not threatened by His compassion; it is the foundation of it.
And yet, when His people cried out, He moved toward them.
Verse 23 gives us a glimpse of intercession: “He said He would destroy them, had not Moses… stood before Him in the breach.” One man stood in the gap, and mercy prevailed.
We often forget the power of intercession. We forget that we, too, have access to the throne of grace. Romans 5:2 tells us that we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.
We do not approach a reluctant God. We approach a gracious One.
Nevertheless.
That word belongs not only to Israel’s story, but to mine.
How many times have I forgotten what He has done?
How many times have I let distractions dull my gratitude?
How many times have I cried out only after being brought low?
Nevertheless, He heard.
Nevertheless, He regarded my affliction.
Nevertheless, He delivered.
Grace is not a one-time rescue. It is steady mercy that meets us again and again. It is the holy tension of a righteous God who chooses to extend compassion. It is judgment stayed and mercy released.
We often imagine grace as dramatic — seas parting, chains falling. But sometimes grace is simply this: God staying. God hearing. God responding.
Many times, He delivered.
Many times, they rebelled.
Nevertheless.
The throne we approach today is not one of condemnation, but of grace. We stand in it. Not outside it. Not earning our way into it. Standing.
And if we have greatly received mercy, how can we withhold it? If God has regarded our affliction when we cried out, how can we ignore the cries around us?
Grace received must become grace extended.
He is gracious.
He is righteous.
He is merciful.
And when we forget — when we fail — when we cry out from the low places —
Nevertheless.
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