Be Merciful

Read: Amos 7

O Sovereign LORD, please stop or we will not survive, for Israel is so small. Amos 7:5

IN WORD

God looked at the awful condition of sinful humanity and marveled that there was no one to intercede (Isaiah 59:16). That’s the Word of the sovereign God, the God who can do anything He wants to do at any time He wants to do it. So why is He looking for someone to intercede? Because He gave humanity dominion over things on earth. For things on earth to be rectified, humanity has to exercise dominion.

That’s why God ultimately sent His Son to intercede for us; no human being was righteous enough to represent us to a holy God. But chosen servants before and after the intercession of the Son have been granted the opportunity to perform the same function. The redeemed are a nation of priests performing a service of sacrifice. When God pronounces judgment, we intervene.

That’s how He designed it. As people conformed to His image, we can reflect His judgment or His grace. His eye searches out those who embody the same priorities that He does: mercy over justice. The revelation of His righteousness is given for those who will plead the words of Amos. God invites us to invite Him to relent.

IN DEED

How much of your prayer life is directed toward interceding? God has placed us squarely in the gap between His righteousness and the world’s unrighteousness. What will we do with our position? Is our heart in conformity with God’s?

Make sure that it is. The heart of the Christian is designed to understand God’s judgment and give Him a human voice of intercession. His mercy is meant to flow through the priests He has ordained on behalf of the world. In other words, He saved us by grace for a reason.

Let that be your reason for being. Develop a heart of mercy, and plead with God for Him to withhold His judgment. Never forget that He delights in such pleas. They reflect His heart exactly.

ADDITIONAL READING: Isaiah 59:16

Do not let us fail one another in interest, care, and practical help; but supremely we must not fail one another in prayer.

MICHAEL BAUGHEN