“Blessed be the LORD, for He has heard my cry for mercy. 7The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song.” Psalm 28:6-7 BSB

When I read this verse, I am reminded of the night that I cried out for mercy to the Lord. Life was falling apart. Bills could not be met. The endless cycle of the drug addiction had stolen everything of value from me including my self worth. It seemed as if the only thing to take was my life! It was during that time that God began to draw me near to Himself. I was reading the Bible but it wasn’t really making any sense to me. I remember asking myself, “What if all this is true? If the sacrifice Christ made for me, could it actually break the chain of addiction in my life?” Feelings of desperation came over me as I realized the depth of the pit I was trying to escape. Falling to my knees beside my bed I cried out, “If the blood of Jesus applied to the bond of my sin can set me free, then You have to do it or for sure I will die!” “Blessed be the Lord, for He heard my cry for mercy!”

The Hebrew word for “mercy” here is the word supplication. The word means to plead for compassion, the motherly trait of steadfast love. It means that God still loved me in the middle of my sin because I was His creation! The Scriptures are clear in this regard.

“But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 AMP

Do you see it? “…proves His own love for us…” God doesn’t simply make the statement that He loves us, He died for us so that we can be free! One of my favorite verses is from Psalm 40.

“I waited patiently and expectantly for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. 2He brought me up out of a horrible pit [of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock, steadying my footsteps and establishing my path. 3He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear [with great reverence] And will trust confidently in the LORD.” Psalm 40:1-3 AMP

Our verse today tells us that when God moves on our behalf, we have a new song to sing! That song is one of praise to Him for the great and wonderful things He has done and will do for us. 

The work that God is doing in our lives is a testimony to the world that He is real and that He has the keys to life and death! It is our responsibility then to live in such a way as to give glory to Him. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Phillipians,

“Only [be sure to] lead your lives in a manner [that will be] worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I do come and see you or remain absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit [and one purpose], with one mind striving side by side [as if in combat] for the faith of the gospel.” 

We must always remember that we are I a battle for the testimony of Christ in our life. Satan will try whatever schemes he can muster to discredit the image of Christ in our lives. If we live in surrender and trust, then His light can shine through the cracks of our weaknesses and bring glory to the Savior! Have a blessed day, Pastor Ken