June 24 - Psalms 136-138
Today my devotional reading was about God's mercy, and then, when I began to read Psalm 136, I read over and over again, "For His mercy endures forever." I think I see a pattern there, don't you? God wants me to consider His mercy today. What about you? Can you see how God's mercy is continuous? He is always merciful, even when He punishes us. He is seldom as harsh as He might have been, and He seldom punishes as quickly as He could have. God is a merciful God, and He wants us to show mercy to others, too.
Then, Psalm 137 brought me back to the reality that a merciful God does punish severely in some cases. The exile of Israel to Babylon is a good example. The Israelites were harshly taken to a foreign country, and then, their captors wanted them to sing joyful songs like they sang at home. It was hard to do when they had seen their young smashed on stones. The psalmist would rather see God do the same to them, than to sing happy songs. Yes, mercy does not do away with punishment, because God is just as well as merciful.
Psalm 138 is another psalm of praise written by David. It ends up with the mercy of God after reminding us about how God watches out for the lowly and is far from the proud. I hope all of us can go out today rejoicing in God's mercy and being merciful to others. Let's let others see Jesus in us today.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 139-141.
Then, Psalm 137 brought me back to the reality that a merciful God does punish severely in some cases. The exile of Israel to Babylon is a good example. The Israelites were harshly taken to a foreign country, and then, their captors wanted them to sing joyful songs like they sang at home. It was hard to do when they had seen their young smashed on stones. The psalmist would rather see God do the same to them, than to sing happy songs. Yes, mercy does not do away with punishment, because God is just as well as merciful.
Psalm 138 is another psalm of praise written by David. It ends up with the mercy of God after reminding us about how God watches out for the lowly and is far from the proud. I hope all of us can go out today rejoicing in God's mercy and being merciful to others. Let's let others see Jesus in us today.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 139-141.