You’ve probably been there—that terrible moment when you feel like you’re watching a train about to wreck. Your roommate chooses to stay in a toxic relationship. Your child makes a series of self-destructive decisions. Your brother or sister persists in a state of total denial. Your friend walks away from God.
Helplessness is a special kind of agony, especially when it comes to our loved ones. This is the agony Paul expresses in Romans 9 about the choices of Israel. Having had his eyes opened to the light of the gospel, Paul realizes with great anguish that many of his people—God’s people—have not awakened to the good news of Jesus Christ. Theologian N.T. Wright describes Paul’s reaction this way: “[Paul] was like someone driving in convoy who takes a particular turn in the road and then watches in horror as most of the other cars take the other fork.”
Paul’s sorrow is so great that he would rather take their place: “I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters” (v.3). This chapter, then, is not a cold, calculating explanation of Israel’s history and fate. Instead, Paul is wrestling with the mysterious ways of God, and he doesn’t arrive at many neat and tidy conclusions.
In Romans 9, Paul engages some complex theological questions, but if we zoom in a bit and look at his heart, we might recognize our own. Most of us have walked in Paul’s shoes—grieving the rebellion, blindness, or self-destruction of someone we love. From Paul’s own wrestling with heartache, we can discern two spiritual principles:
First, none of us can boast. None of us stands on moral high ground. God’s grace was not extended to us on the basis of human merit but divine mercy. That is the principle Paul points to throughout the history of Israel: Isaac, not Ishmael; Jacob, not Esau. These men, these chosen ones who constituted the line of Abraham, were not selected because of their outstanding moral character, but because of the free compassion of God. As Paul explains, “it does not depend on human will or effort but on God who shows mercy” (v.16). In other words, none of us can pat ourselves on the back for our good choices or our strong faith while silently judging others. It is all a gift, so none of us should boast.
Second, God is sovereign. The relationship between God’s power and our free will is a mysterious one, indeed. But when it comes to the decisions of a loved one, God’s sovereignty removes a great deal of weight from our shoulders. Namely, we cannot force someone to make the right choice. We cannot yell someone into wisdom. We cannot wrestle someone into agreeing with us. And we cannot compel transformation. There is only One who directs the streams of human hearts, and that is God alone.
The sovereignty of God does not permit us to become callous, nor does it permit complacency. Like Paul, we should mourn destruction whenever we encounter it. But it can relieve us of a burden we were never meant to bear.
Only God knows the whole picture and the entire story. Our task is to share the good news to the best of our ability, in humility, and then prayerfully leave the rest to Him.
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55 thoughts on "The God of Mercy"
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Lord, forgive me for becoming callous & complacent when it comes to having a heart for the lost.
Holy Spirit, soften my heart towards the lost by giving me a heart of compassion, grace, kindness, love, & mercy towards them.
Holy Spirit, give me the boldness/courage to take on the task of sharing the good news to the best of my ability, in humility, and then prayerfully leaving the rest to You.
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Wow. This was so timely for me. Thank you so much.
It breaks my heart to see the sad stories you ladies are sharing and the struggles you are facing. ❤️ Praying for you all and those who haven’t shared but are still facing battles. ❤️❤️
CEE CEE— I am using a KJV. Have never read this translation before, which is why I chose a study Bible, so the commentary would help me.
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Praying for you MICHELLE PATIRE May God be with you and hold you in His right·eous right hand
Tricia C I am praying for your kids and grandkids.
Praying for you and your dad. That’s such a hard situation.
“Only God knows the whole picture and the entire story. Our task is to share the good news to the best of our ability, in humility, and then prayerfully leave the rest to Him.”
So well said. ❤️ This reminds me of something I heard once, talking about feeding the 5,000 and how it’s not our job to feed the 5,000 but to supply the bread and fish. We know our limits and do what we can, what God calls us to do, and then leave God to do the rest and pray His will be done. It also reminds me of the Serenity Prayer, which is simple to understand but tougher to apply.
“We should mourn destruction whenever we encounter it. But it can relieve us of a burden we were never meant to bear. Our task is to share the good news to the best of our ability, in humility, and then prayerfully leave the rest to Him”. These words could not come at a better time. I have been struggling with my lukewarm/backsliding hubby and I feel so defeated. As much as I love and respect him, his wrong choices from not renewing his mind with the Word hurts us as a family. Leading by example for years and years does not seem to work. I am just so discouraged. I would appreciate your prayers so I won’t grieve or be consumed with frustration. “Leave the rest to God” -this would be my mental reminder and motto to live by. Some burdens are not for us to bear. I will choose joy and surrender my tears and struggles to Him. Enough is enough. In His presence, there is fullness of joy. I have been meditating on these verses, and asked God to make it happen for me, “Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD” (Psalm 112: 6-7). Thank you dear she’s for your transparency today. I love doing life with you dear sweet and faithful she’s. Lifting you up in prayers (JESSICA MARSEE, LIBBY K, ALEIDA & VICTOR, CHELSEA SEXTON, VICTORIA E, TAYLOR, SARAH D AND OTHER SHES)
@SEARCHING: glad that you’re back. You were so missed!
@ERB: thank you for the quote from Susannah. Let afflictions draw out praise from our lips (and not murmuring and tears).
@KELLY (NEO): amen on our limited perspective that is tainted with sin. We must not box God into our ideas of how He should save. He has millions of ways and solutions to save any of us at anytime. Waymaker, miracle worker He is.
So thankful for your wisdom and insights daily. Be blessed dear sisters.
My church is dying. My dad is the pastor and my family has put countless hours into it for over half of my life. It’s a very weird and sad feeling that I’m discovering. But so many people have left, whom I thought I was close with, but God has a plan, and I was able to shift my focus on how I think of the people who have left our church family. There are perfectly good reasons to leave a church, and regardless God has just as much mercy on me as He does them.
That’s harm.
This was just what I needed today. Walking through a dark place with a child. Praying the decisions made don’t arm the grand children involved.
I am really struggling with us. I have three grown children who do not know the Lord. As a matter of fact, two of them claimed to be atheists. All three of my children are married, and have children.
When I read a passage like this And it says that God hardens the hearts of people and gives mercy to who he wants to give them mercy, etc. I struggle with that. We are supposed to have free will but how can we have free will if that is the case? How can my children choose the Lord if their hearts have been hardened?
But then, I know that God is sovereign, and what Sharon said is so true. “Only God knows the whole picture in the entire story.“ So I am putting my trust in God, and I am continuing to pray for my children and grandchildren. I pray that their hearts would be softened and open to receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
And I am praying for all of you She’s who also have loved ones who have turned away. We cannot stop praying for them.
God has been speaking to me through so many vessels. Church yesterday, our community group bible study and now here in this study. I’ve really struggled, for years now, over one of my sons slowly walking away from faith and falling further into addictions and choosing paths of destruction. Even though he’s moved out of the house we stay in close contact and he comes to visit often. We have deep conversations and I feel his pain, frustration and loneliness. In his mind God has abandoned him, this is like a knife in my heart, because God never has. I understand where Paul says he’d take their place if he could. I would be willing to take my son’s place, to be able take away the pain and suffering, the consequences of wrong choices and misled emotions, but God is working in mysterious ways, he has the bigger picture. However, tt doesn’t make it any easier to watch, I just need help in letting go of that burden I was not created to bear and trust his work in my son’s life.
Aleida I am praying right now.
MARIA BAER – I am so glad you mentioned Leah and Esau. I read that and thought, “What???!!!” Lol. I read these passages in my NLT and it uses the word rejected just as you clarified. I wouldn’t have known otherwise if you hadn’t brought that to light. Most of the time I read a couple of translations, but with Paul’s writings I have found that the NLT is best for my understanding. What kind of study Bible do you have?
MARI V – Praying for a blessed last day and a peace filled first day tomorrow!
Such a good devotional today. I’m sure we all could relate. I remember being so frustrated with my ex-husband. When Tanner was diagnosed with Cystinosis, he chose to drink. Nothing I could do or say would change it. I finally filed for divorce. I had so much on my plate with taking care of my son. Trying to save his life from such a rare disease that I couldn’t deal with his dads drinking. His dad and I now have a good relationship. He still drinks, but I’m unattached from it. I have compassion for him. Relating in our grief has brought us to a good place. I talk to him about God, but let God take the wheel. My now husband is so understanding to let me have this relationship. Tanner’s dad knows my grief more than anyone else. I’m forever thankful that God turned my face towards Him.
@Holly – I love your story about your dad. After my dads attempt with suicide he too decided to turn his life life more towards God because he knew he was still here for a reason. He never told us as kids to not believe in God but never encouraged us to go towards him either. He was happily in the middle space. He was very supportive over our religious milestones as I grew up Catholic but never wanted to be part of it. Such a great reminder today to give those grace to others just because they might follow Christ like we do. As I seek a new relationship with a guy I’ve dated in the past religious hurdles have been hard for me to overcome with him. But instead of me believing I’m too good for him because he doesn’t actively go to church does not mean I shouldn’t encourage him to go to church. Praying it this relationship works out that it will get easier and if not that I will know when to walk away. Happy Monday ladies! @Taylor @Sarah D. Praying you both are doing well ❤️
I’m so thankful that I got a study Bible before starting this study because it has helped me understand so much of Paul’s words. And today’s commentary has FINALLY help me understand the stories of Leah and Essau. Some translations refers to them as the “hated” ones and Paul calls them that too. That always bothered me because they did not do anything wrong. But my Bible explains that this is an idiom, and what it really means is that they were not the object of God’s electing purpose, but God made provisions for both of them. As he always does for his beloved. And while we may not agree with these actions, it shows God’s sovereignty to do his will.
Good morning She’s HAPPY MONDAY ☀️. I admit, as I have before, Monday is my least favorite day of the week. But it’s still a good day because it’s the day the Lord has made. What stood out to me this morning was when Sharon says,”But it can relieve us of a burden we were never meant to bear”. I take a breath. This is exactly it! When things are going on in our lives (or the lives of our loved ones) that are beyond our control, our job is to pray and pray diligently that God will speak to them and leave it to God. It’s always best to leave it in His hands. He already knows the outcome.
My LAST day as a Kids Care aide. Prayers are appreciated. I’ve been doing this for 13 years. My new adventures start tomorrow.
So beautiful ❤️
Great article to accompany the passages. I have studied synergism and monergism and I think the mystery of predestination is a combo of both God calls us and we are chosen by him but we have the free will to continue to chose him or walk away. I’m glad he has called me ❤️
I used to think my husband was so unmanageable i would call it lol and would never turn his life around and give it to God and I purposed in my heart to stop praying for his salvation and the Holy spirit told me one morning in prayer I Love your husband just as much as I love you ,I repented and started back speaking life into him inspite of what I seen when God called him home I knew that he had received eternal life .
This is so rightly said , One plant another waters and God gives the increase so let’s keep planting and watering and watching God give the increase . Continue praying sister
That’s good and timely.
Our worry will never bring someone to Christ. We have to lay them at the feet of Jesus and continue to share God’s live with them and let Him do the work. We have to trust His faithfulness!
Todays devotion is fantastic. Thank you Sharon Hodde Miller!!
Wow, that last paragraph is so true. My Dad spent most of his years as a non-Christian. In his final year ( his 86th year), 10 months before he passed, he finally said “Yes.” to accepting Christ and being baptized. We baptized him in his hospital room.
My siblings and I had openly discussed our faith with him throughout our lives and he was never ready to admit Jesus was anything other than a good man and a prophet. Years ago, I turned it over to God telling Him that I loved my Dad and I couldn’t comprehend living eternity without him there too but that I trusted God to work it out. I never thought I would actually witness the moment and take part in my Dad’s baptism but God is amazing in His mercy and grace.
When we lost my Dad this spring, I had and have peace because I know he said yes to Jesus as God’s Son and will be in eternity with Him. Thank You Father for that amazing gift. Just another example of how trusting You is always the right thing.
SHES – your comments are such a blessing as it gives us a little window into each other’s lives. May we follow God’ leading in how we share the gospel.
THANKS for your prayers over the weekend. I posted a comment Saturday evening and yesterday afternoon (in case you didn’t see those.) ❤
MICHELLE PATIRE- Praying for you and your family and that God strengthens your heart and faith for the trials you face.
ERB – Great ‘preaching’! Thank you for sharing Mrs. Surgeon’s quote. Powerful!
SEARCHING – On point comment as always! So good to see you back and praying for all of your ‘catching up’! ❤
ALEIDA – Praying in agreement!
Thank you SRT!! The book of Romans has always intimidated me till now! I am finally able to understand more of the book.
Thank you to all the ladies who have been praying for an easier comprehension to those reading!
Roman’s is now a favorite book of mine instead of the one I avoided!
God’s sovereignty is an ever present theme in my studies lately. Praising Him that no matter what choices we or our loved ones make, He is sovereign over all outcomes.
Like so many, phew, this really hit home. I fell asleep last night worrying about my kids and how I could help them get back on track. What a great reminder this morning that I can only do so much and I MUST trust God to turn them back. I know it in my head, but my heart just gets so sad with the reality that I spin on it again and again, trying to figure out what I can say, or do to change their path. The HS has been convicting me lately of my pride as well, thinking that I am better because I haven’t turned from Him; ugh…I am ashamed to say it. No one deserves salvation. We have all sinned. God is good and merciful. Hallelujah!
Happy Monday, Shes!
Thank You, Lord God for Your mercy. We all need it each and every day. Praying for softening of hearts in my life and in the lives of you, Shes…that we may see many turn to the Lord and seek Him with all their heart.
It is a good reminder that we are not to pray for others from a state of complacency – for we all sin and fall short each and every day and it is only by God’s gift of faith that we know God ourselves. Thanks be to God!
It’s comforting, but also sad, that a lot of us relate to this devotional so much, right now.
I’m just reading through the comments and saying, “Oh, of course, it’s not just me… We all feel this.” It is so hard to watch people make mistakes. To be honest, I definitely struggle with pride when I see people I love making foolish decisions. It makes me angry, watching my siblings and parents choose sin day after day. I was laying in bed thinking about this last night bc Heather (my sis) posted a picture of her at a cannabis festival with her boyfriend in our family group chat. It made me angry that she is still choosing to date someone who is not yet legally divorced & also continuing doing drugs when it gives her panic attacks.
I’m not perfect. But at least I am choosing repentance after I sin…
I’m definitely not perfect, though. I don’t know. Being part of such a big family is hard. There are 9 of us and if it weren’t for my spiritual/godly community, I don’t know how I would do it. No one else is zealous for God. My mom is the Lord, but she doesn’t read the Word, some of her faith is based off her own ideas…
I guess we gotta keep each other in prayer, we all need it here Shes! Praying for you @Aleida, Jessica, Chelsea S, Libby K…
May God give us patience and have mercy on us so we can be merciful with others.
Oh that was written for me. I’m struggling with my dad’s alcoholism. It’s destroying my family and I’m so mad at him for his choices. Please pray for us.
I’m sure I’m not alone when I start thinking of my children when I read this. I’m at that pivotal age with my two oldest. One is about to be 20 and the other is 18. I see the 20 year old lost and seeking answers outside her faith. Meanwhile the 18 year old is seeking answers within his faith. It’s like the train wreck she talks about. One is following the Lord and the other is fighting that relationship. So hard on my mama heart. I trust God will bring her home though.
Yes, LibbyI just keep reminding myself that God loves my kids more than I do. He
Yes,Libby. I just keep reminding myself that God loves my kids more than!I do. They are His.
God is sovereign and it is the power of the Holy Spirit that draws us to Jesus and back to Jesus. He alone can transform lives. We have to pray, believe, trust, and let go. It’s hard for sure.
Ephesians 1:3-6
**these verses tie everything together that we’ve read about today perfectly!!! God is SO Awe-some!!!
Deuteronomy 32:3-4
**without bias. Can you imagine being without bias?!! Yet that is Who our God is!! He is faithful, just, righteous and true!!! He is PERFECT. And He chose us!! Wow!!! Completely and utterly humbled and in AWE of Him every single day and moment!!! HE is SO Good to us!!!
Romans 9:8
**I love this verse because we live in a world where heritage is highly revered, held onto and treasured.. and this verse tells us that our heritage doesn’t matter!! It is our faith, belief and trust in God that matters!! HE is our inheritance!!! In other words, God looks at the heart!! It’s the inside that matters not the outside. Our focus should be on the internal (spiritual) not the external (flesh/self). May we shift our focus heavenwards not defining ourselves by anything other than what GOD defines us as.. His beloved children. Amen.
This is a little off-topic but I wanted to share this quote I cam across yesterday evening… it was written by Charles Spurgeon’s wife after he died.
“When the fire of affliction draws songs of praise from us, then indeed we are purified and our God is glorified! Singing in the fire! Yes, God helping us if that is the only way to get harmouny out of these hard, apathetic hearts, let the furnace be heated seven times hotter than before.”
-Susannah Spurgeon
Have a blessed day ladies!!! May it be FULL of God!!
This devotional hit home for me as many of my family it appears are walking away and making bad choices. It’s very hard and sad to walk. Please continue to pray that they will come back to Jesus
Praying this morning for all of you sisters with loved ones who are far from God right now. We can take comfort in knowing that as much as we want them to have a relationship with Jesus, God wants that for them even more. As much as we love them and care about them, God loves and cares about them even more. Have a great Monday!
I just prayed for you and your son’s relationship Aleida. My son and I have a similar story. But God delivered my son and now he is in church again and taking his sweet little family with him. So never give up praying for him and seeking the Lord for him. I am on my way to Ca to see my son in a couple of weeks too. Our relationship has endured many ups and downs and it’s so good to see him happy again. I pray the same for you.
God is so good, and he is in control. Praying that I will relinquish my desire for control and allow him to take over my life and actions so that I love others as more important than myself. He is the one who grows me, and who grows those I love.
God alone knows and He is sovereign. If only I remembered that every day in every circumstance instead of doing & saying what I think will fix things. And after that fails, then praying and seeking God’s wisdom & direction – which is what I should do first, each and every time.
And salvation for our loved ones – is there anything we want more than that? Praying for my own list of the lost, and for those mentioned and not mentioned, sisters.
I have been studying and belatedly praying through requests – finally caught up with everyone again.
MERCY ❤️
CEE GEE ❤️
VICTORIA E – continuing to pray for work situation, praying for peace to increase
MARI V – praying as you say goodbye to your old job and hello to the new one today and tomorrow. Also praying for L.
ALEIDA – praying for Victor and your time with him later this week
Praying for the requests and for all of you today. May all the lost, by God’s mercy, be drawn, and then turn, repent, and be saved for time and eternity. Amen
I feel like today’s devotion was written for me. There are very special people in my life right now that reject God’s truth, but this gave me hope & affirmation that I am doing my part & I know God is doing his part also.
Praying for Aleida and Victor.
This is one of those “just gotta trust God’s goodness” passages. My perspective is not only limited but also tainted with sin, so I cannot understand why I had a heart that responded to God’s mercy when others I love have not (yet).
ALEIDA, PATTI MCLEAN,LYNN PAINTER, LAURA, ANNETTE, JULIE ROBERSON, EMALINE ONG, SUE HOLLAR, MARYA, ANNE S, CATHERINE FALCONER, NATASHA, SHARON JONES – praying your loved ones return to serving and loving Jesus.
Oh man. I know today’s devotion is going to hit home with many of us. The idea that it’s all in God’s hands is both comforting and scary. Comforting, because I’d much rather have an all-powerful, all-knowing God in control. Scary because it means I have to let go of that control. Praying for all of us to have open hands today. Happy Monday, friends!
Amen
My dear Shes, thank you for continuing to pray for my prodigal son. Today’s reading and devotional was comforting and I felt like it was written for the circumstance I’m battling in my life right now with my son. I’ve felt helpless not being able to help him, much less talk to him since early June when we had the last altercation. I’ve been in mourning and grieving his rebellion in addition to his mental illness (depression and anxiety) and addiction. He’s been self destructive and knowing that kills me. Reading in today’s devotional the reminder that God’s sovereignty removes a great deal of weight from my shoulders as his mother. Only God alone can guide Victor’s heart and his mind towards Him. That’s been my prayer for years. My dear sisters, I’m flying down to CA on Weds morning primarily to try to meet with my son if he is willing to see me. I’m extremely anxious about this trip and our time together again if he’s willing to see me. We both said hurtful things to one another the last time we spoke almost 2 months ago. I’ve given him his space and have not contacted him at all. Please pray that the Lord will anoint our time together and that streams of peaceful and loving words will flow out of my mouth and his. I miss having my son in my life and I want him to hear that from me. He hasn’t been able to find a good job (he’s still staying at my mom’s house with my brother – I thank God he’s safe and with family). But he’s driving a car without insurance, because he can’t afford it right now and he’s still smoking pot, knowing how damaging that is to his mental health. It’s his way to self medicate his pain. I covet your prayers, sisters. Thank you!❤️❤️