We truly have a merciful Savior, and those who know him understand how merciful he has been to us. Mercy is showing compassion or forgiveness to someone you have the power to punish. God extends mercy to us all the time. We seek to please ourselves more than we seek to please God. We seem to feel sorry for what we have done when we begin to suffer for our choices, but when things are good again, we forget the goodness of God.
In the book of Joel, we find that the nation of Judah had been suffering from locusts. They were ravaging all vegetation. The infestation was horrible. It was so bad that in Joel 1:3, they were told to tell their children about it and make sure they understood God’s judgment. Joel warns them that if they don’t repent, it will only get worse. God was trying to wake them up from their spiritual slumber. He was trying to get them to return to him before it was too late.
Joel 1:3 “Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.”
God was now extending His mercy to them, hoping for their repentance. He seemed to be begging them to turn to Him with all their heart. Joel warned them that they needed to fast and mourn over their sins.
Verse 12 seems to have a sense of urgency about it. When someone knows they could receive punishment at any moment, it should cause them to deal with their situation quickly. When we realize how powerful and just God is, we will have a reverence and fear that will cause us to seek his mercy for our lives.
Joel 2:12-13 “Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”
When we understand the mercy he has extended, we should have a great desire to return to Him. The desire will be fulfilled when we come to full repentance. When we repent sincerely from the heart our relationship is restored to the quality it was before we sinned.
If we have truly repented, it will be seen in our actions. Fasting, weeping, and mourning are evidence of true repentance.
In verse 13, we are reminded how great and merciful our God really is. It gives us the character traits for which we should truly be grateful. He is gracious, extending to us His unmerited favor. He is merciful, and he is slow to anger. Even though we have been His enemy, He is not vengeful, but he is compassionate and abounds in loving kindness. He longs for a relationship with us. He is a personal God, treating us as a father does his children. When we walk away from Him or slack on our relationship, he is patient and seeks to get us to come back to him.
If you are not in right standing with God now, he is waiting for you. He is being merciful and loving. He is extending forgiveness to you. He longs for you to turn to Him and repent. How can you turn away from such a merciful Savior?
