No Mercy Like Yours

Isaiah 59:2a “But your iniquities have separated you from your God…” (NIV)

I looked ahead, and all I could see was darkness.

No, wait – all I could feel was darkness,

Because the sun was shining,

The birds were chirping,

And life was moving on as usual.

Inside, however, was all dark.

I had no idea where the darkness came from.

I think I was born with it,

And now, I had no idea how to get rid of it.

If only I had known at that point,

That there was no mercy like yours.

Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (NLT)

I had no idea that this darkness in my soul was sin,

After all, it had been part of me for years!

I knew nothing different!

Suddenly, though, I wanted it gone.

I would cry day and night for this darkness to leave me,

But it wouldn’t.

I would hear its taunting voice say,

“Don’t try and get rid of me, I am here to stay!”

Then I would resign myself to my fate,

Of living in darkness.

Until I would hear that tiny inner voice telling me,

“This is not what you were made for,

This is not who you are supposed to be.

There is something missing inside you,

There is a way to get rid of the darkness.”

But still, because I did not know You,

I had no idea there was a way out.

I did not know that there is no mercy like yours.

The desire to be done with darkness drove me to listen.

I began to listen to the preachers and the teachers,

And thinking about the scriptures they quoted.

I heard them talk about sin,

And how this thing called sin separated us from Christ.

“Could that darkness inside me be sin,” I asked.

I wasn’t a bad person – in fact, I was pretty good!

Or so I thought…

If I had not gotten to experience Your mercy,

I would still be in that delusional space,

Having that false sense of security,

Thinking I was a great person,

With no need for you.

Truly, Lord,

There is no mercy like yours.

So I took a bold step,

Bolder than any I had ever taken in my life,

And decided to try out this antidote for the darkness,

Jesus Christ.

I took an even bolder step,

And asked Jesus to take control of my life.

I had never let anyone else take over my life,

But because the battle with darkness was too much for me to handle,

I figured He was better placed to take care of it.

As soon as I acknowledged Him as Savior,

I experienced it.

His mercy.

I experienced it.

His saving power.

I experienced it.

His love.

I experienced it.

Freedom from darkness.

The brightness I had been longing for was finally within my soul,

And I felt happy, light, free, and new.

All because,

There is no mercy like Yours.

Thank you, Lord, for your mercy.

Without it, I would still be drowning in darkness and despair;

I would still have this horrible weight on my shoulders.

I would not have anything to look forward to.

But because of Your sacrifice,

That one sacrifice at Calvary,

My story has changed,

From one of hopelessness and despair,

To one of joy and hope.

Without Your gift of mercy, Lord,

I would be nothing.

Truly, Lord, there is no mercy like Yours.

Mercy that wipes away every sin,

Mercy that gives us a fresh start,

Mercy that makes us new,

Mercy that forgets who we were, and focuses on who we are.

There is no mercy like yours.

Ephesians 2:4-5 “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (NIV)