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Has life got you down and left you somewhat confused in this season of angst and turmoil? Perhaps now is the time for you to consider the Lord's tender mercies being poured into your life each and every day!
As we enter a season of Thanksgiving, I think it is important for all of us to step back and really consider where we are, both as a nation and as individuals. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in all of the annoyances of life, as well as the disappointments. Some of us have experienced these feelings during this election season. Therefore, I think that it is important that we consider the tender mercies of the Lord God.
I'd like for you to look with me in your Bible at Psalm 25. This psalm, written by King David, begins with verses 1-3:
To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust, do not let me be ashamed; do not let my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
As you know, sometimes it is easy to get impatient. We become impatient about what the Lord is doing, or what we perceive maybe the Lord is not doing. But, as David writes, none of us who wait upon Him will be ashamed.
Sometimes it is easy to rush hither and yon. I've liked to joke for many years that I can't wait until I get some patience. But, the Lord is teaching me patience each and every day. Sometimes He teaches me patience by the things He causes me to have to wait for. And so, in this volatile year of waiting to see what disaster happens next or for whatever shoe is going to drop, so to speak, in our country, I think God has given us an opportunity to learn patience and perseverance.
Reading on in verses 4-5:
Make me know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day.
How exactly does the Lord teach us His ways? And how does He show us His paths and lead us into His truths? Clearly, by His own Holy Word. And so, if I pray that prayer, that Jesus would teach me His ways and lead me in His paths and show me His truths, then I am not really aspiring to receive that blessing if I do not study God's Word, hiding it in my heart and applying it to my life. And so, if you find yourself searching for truth in the world that seems to be determined to embrace relativism, make sure that you are grounding yourself in God's Word, which is truth.
As we get to verse 6, David asks God to:
Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, for they have been from of old.
The word "compassion" is translated in other versions of the Bible as the Lord's "tender mercies." His mercies are unmerited; they are given to us, poured out because of His grace, and yet, they are tender each and every day.
Sometimes we look for God in the grandiose, such as answering our prayers for a certain election outcome, or for particular blessings to flow in our lives and the lives of our children. And yet, each and every day, we do at times take for granted God's tender mercies: the sunshine in a given morning, the beauty of the Fall season that we enjoy, and friends and family. And, of course, we especially look forward to the joyous Thanksgiving season. God's tender mercies are blessings that we cannot take for granted, for indeed they have been planned for us from old, and lovingly poured into each of our lives.
Skipping to verses 8-10, David reminds us that:
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way. All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth, to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.
I'd like to think that the pathway the Lord would lead me on is straight and narrow, and there is an analogy in which it is. But, sometimes there is also an analogy in that the Lord asks us to walk with Him. He takes us along the pathways of life with Him fully knowing the way and us hesitantly following.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to just follow the Lord with humility and allow Him to show us the path and go where He wants us to go. We don't always know what the future holds, other than the events that have been revealed in Scripture nationally and for our individual lives. I don't even know what tomorrow holds, but I know it is Jesus Christ who leads me. I must trust in Christ to lead me in the way that He wants me to go, and to teach me the lessons He wants me to gain, and to give me the assurance that in the end He knows what is best for me, and that I am eternally His.
I pray during this Thanksgiving season that you will have a season of rest, that you will take the time to reflect, and to give thanks. And, I hope that you will take the time each and every day to properly praise the Lord for His tender mercies in your life.
Godspeed!
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