O Gracious And Merciful One

• Think of a time when you deserved to be punished for something but weren’t. How did you feel?
• Share something that you know about the Israelites from the Old Testament.

“But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.”
Nehemiah 9:31

This verse from Nehemiah comes from the longest prayer recorded in the entire Bible. In this prayer, the Israelites confess that they have been sinful, rebellious and evil, and they praise God for never abandoning them.

If anyone was familiar with God’s grace and mercy, it was the Israelites. Over and over again, throughout the Bible, God would rescue his people and set them straight, and they would turn against him. He would rescue them again and set them straight, and they would turn against him.

Sound familiar? We do the same thing. God has saved us. He has forgiven us. He has given us his Word. And yet, time and time again, we turn away. But he is always there for us when we need more rescuing.

God has shown incredible mercy to us by sending his Son to die in our place and forgiving us of our sins. God doesn’t treat us the way we deserve to be treated. Instead, he treats us with mercy, showering us with constant grace.

PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for your grace and mercy. Thank you for not treating us the way we deserve to be treated. Amen.