The Quality of Mercy

The Friday morning Bible study in which I participate has been studying how to manage our emotions through studying the Psalms. It’s been an instructive study, and has actually been a way to draw in people who might otherwise shy away from Bible study. After all, everyone deals with emotions! The women who’ve visited have been surprised at the pertinence of the Bible to the things they are feeling and experiencing. This week the subject was dealing with anger, and it was amazing the number of things that can contribute to that emotion and how easily that emotion can deteriorate into full-blown sin.

In addition to studying the Psalms, I’m involved in a Bible study on the Sermon on the Mount. Certainly there is no more soul-searing study than this sermon of Jesus. There is no escape from the soul-probing nature of his comments, which too often reveal things about myself I’d rather not know.

Living in the world against the backdrop of these very practical Bible studies has made me think a lot this week. There are issues that make believer angry, or sad, or scared. There are issues that unfortunately cause rifts even between the most dedicated followers of Christ. There is, of course, a God-prescribed way out for even the most damaged emotions and relationships and that way centers around acts of mercy and forgiveness.

We had dinner with some good friends last night, and met some friends of theirs who come from Poland. The Poles were describing some of the traditions they observe at Christmas time, one of which would be a good tradition for any believer to observe. Each household purchases a special kind of very white bread at Christmas time which is served before the Christmas Eve celebratory meal. The father and mother in the home break the bread, and spend as much time as necessary asking for forgiveness from each other for wrongs they’ve committed in the past year. Not only is forgiveness given and received, but they also spend time thanking each other for ways they have shown and experienced love from each other in that time. Following this time of confession and forgiveness, the parents enact the same ceremony with their children. Physical expressions of hugging and kissing are a part of this healing process. Our friends related how such a time of self-revelation gives everyone a clean slate on which to begin the new year. (My husband remarked that if every home in every nation participated wholeheartedly in this exercise, the world would be a different place!)

I was reflecting on this ceremony in light of the morning’s Bible study and discussion. If as I believer I were more merciful and willing to ask forgiveness and keep short accounts with people as well as with God, not only would I be set free from much bitterness and anxiety, but I would free others as well. Obviously, this is not a new concept. I wonder why it is so alien to us in the believing community and so infrequently practiced?

William Shakespeare had it right when he wrote: “The quality of mercy is … twice-blest: it blesseth him that gives and him that takes…. It is an attribute to God Himself…. Though justice be thy plea, consider this: that in the course of justice none of us should see salvation: we do pray for mercy; and that same prayer doth teach us all to render the deeds of mercy.”

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Tuning up to Praise

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In his book, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, C.S. Lewis writes that “praise is inner health made audible.” As usual, Lewis manages to succinctly state truths that I don’t often think of myself. I find that I generally have to work at praising God. Usually I am so busy trying to figure out why God doesn’t answer such-and such a prayer, or why a good God allows evil, that I neglect to focus on all that God HAS done for me and others. I don’t think I’m alone in this. Most believers I know are pretty stressed out about things that are beyond our control, and we’d probably be healthier emotionally and physically if we were focused on the God who is in control.

J.I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom, in their book, Praying, quote Isaac Watts’ hymn: “I’ll praise my Maker when I’ve breath, and when my voice is lost in death, praise shall employ my nobler powers. My days of praise shall ne’er be past while life and thought and being last, or immortality endures.” From their point of view, the Christian life should be one of tuning up to sing with the heavenly orchestra and choir, comprised of the angels and saints who’ve gone before us. When we die, we should be well-rehearsed in the occupation of praising and giving God glory. Our primary responsibility in heaven will be that of praise; do I really want to feel like a duck out of water when I arrive at the pearly gates?

The practice of praise does not need to be determined by my current life situation. Packer and Nystrom admit that praise may not always come easily to me—praise may not even always be enjoyable—but I still need to practice it. Job, after he has been afflicted by his adversary, Satan, was able to worship and affirm the sovereignty of God. (Job 1:20-21). Habakkuk was able to write, in the midst of severe affliction: “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no fruit, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. The Sovereign Lord is my strength.” (Hab. 3:17-19) Somehow their focus on God, and their submission to His sovereignty was enough to keep them praising even in adversity.

Being a musician, I like the idea of tuning up for the heavenly concert. I also like the concept (more predominant in Anglican liturgy than in free church practice) that the saints and angels are continually praising all around us even now. I am not a lone voice in this praise chorus, and I can sing along with those who are far better prepared to praise than I am. I suppose this analogy has more poignancy for me as I am facing the year anniversary of my father’s death. Dad, as much as anyone I know, had practiced well for his current, and eternal job: that of praising His infinitely loving Saviour and Creator. His life was set on knowing God ever more intimately and becoming more and more like His Redeemer. So even though I can’t see him, I can sing along with him and imagine his rich deep voice perfected in his ministry of praise.

“Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune MY heart to sing Thy praise….”