God’s merciful nature makes some people mad. They resent the idea that God would forgive somebody as wicked as Saddam Hussein. “Repentance or no repentance, he deserved to be punished!” they’d say. “He didn’t deserve any divine pardon.”
That’s absolutely right. Mercy keeps us from getting the bad things we deserve, and it grants us the good things we don’t deserve. And we should all thank God for it, because everyone deserves judgment. We’ve all sinned, fallen short of the glory of God, and deserve to go to hell. But when we call on the name of Jesus and ask for mercy, God doesn’t give us the hell we deserve; He gives us the heaven we could never deserve, and He is happy to do it!
One group of people who really had trouble swallowing that truth was the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. Their eyes had been blinded by religion to God’s loving disposition. That blindness kept them from receiving from Him. It cut them off from His blessings and power.
When Jesus and His disciples sat down to eat with tax collectors and sinners, the Pharisees were absolutely livid. Certain that God would have nothing to do with such people, they demanded an explanation. Jesus responded by telling them they needed to learn what the Bible teaches about mercy. He cut off their criticism by informing them that He came to call, not the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Aren’t you glad Jesus said that? Aren’t you glad He came to tell us that God doesn’t want us to suffer and pay for all our sins? Aren’t you grateful that He doesn’t want us to struggle and try to earn His approval?
He just wants us to reach out and receive what He has to give. He just wants to have mercy on us!
Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1 – 10
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”