“Be gracious and merciful to me, O Lord,
For to You I cry out all the day long.
Make Your servant rejoice,
For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul [all that I am—in prayer].
For You, O Lord, are good, and ready to forgive [our trespasses,
sending them away, letting them go completely and forever];
and You are abundant in mercy and loving-kindness to all those
who call upon You. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; and listen to
the cry of my supplications. In the day of my trouble
I will call upon You, For You will answer me.”
Psalm 86:3-7 AMP
Grace Perspective:
The Lord is good for many reasons. In this Psalm, King David reminds us of God’s gracious mercy, that He is ready and willing to forgive all our sins, including those we struggle with repeatedly. David knows that the Lord listens to the prayers of humble hearts before the throne of grace. Not only is He prepared to forgive our sins, but the Lord removes their stain. He will never remind us of them, though we may remember them. God’s mercy is abundant and overflowing, like a fountain that forever removes the stain of sin.
Trust that God’s timing is perfect, whether His answer is ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or ‘not now.’ This understanding helps us patiently rely on His gracious mercy.
A Touch of Grace:
How has God been merciful to you?
Which stain do you find hard to believe has been completely removed?
Grace Application:
The Lord is ready to hear our prayers when we cry out to Him. We can bring Him all our fears, worries, pain, and guilt. Praying honestly and persistently, confessing our sins and trusting in His mercy, helps us experience His forgiveness more deeply. He listens to us and responds to our pleas for forgiveness, help, mercy, peace, strength, wisdom…whatever is causing us to be anxious, fearful, or unsettled.
In Christ, we find steadfast love and mercy because He chose to pay the penalty for all our sins. He shed His blood to remove the stain of our sins and all our guilty stains. The hymn “There Is a Fountain,” by William Cowper, echoes David’s thoughts that God is good and ready to forgive all our sins forever. Here’s a snippet of the lyrics:
“There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins,
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains:
Lose all their guilty stains,
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.”
God’s mercy is beyond my understanding. Like David, we can rejoice knowing that God listens to our prayers and has promised to forgive all who come to Him in faith. The Lord wants us to draw close to Him in prayer, seeking mercy and assurance that we are completely forgiven in Christ Jesus. Let’s rejoice in God’s gracious mercy because Jesus has washed away all our guilty stains, giving us certainty of His forgiveness.
In His Grace,
Dawn
Prayer:
Gracious Father, I come to you in the Precious Name of Jesus, my Savior. You are merciful and gracious beyond measure. I lift up my soul to You today, crying out about (______________________). Thank You for forgiving my sin. I rejoice that Your mercy covers my sin and washes it away. Amen.
**Today, as you read this, I pray that you will have assurance that you are in Christ Jesus. If you have any doubts, please call out to God so that all doubts can be erased. Today is a good day to be assured of Salvation in Christ Jesus. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at graceisdawning@gmail.com**