Healing Rays of Righteousness

In my previous meditation regarding God’s mercy, I referenced Psalm 145:8-9. And since that writing, my thoughts have been awesomely stirred by the psalmist’s description of our God. “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” And earlier the psalmist declared, “You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.” (Psa. 86:5).

These verses and many others remind me that we cannot rightly speak of God’s grace and mercy without first acknowledging that “God is love” and that it is from this amazing, abundant heart of “love” that God’s “grace” and “mercy” flows out to us.

We say and sing that “grace” is the gift of God freely given to all, even though none of us ever deserved it. We say that there is no merit or goodness that precedes God’s “forgiving mercy” which freely and abundantly flows out of God’s gracious love. However, even though we know this to be true, the question remains, are we intentionally and gratefully bathing our minds and hearts in the “deep and wide” waters of this amazing gift of God’s grace. 

I confess to sometimes taking God’s grace for granted or possibly even slipping into thinking that I deserve it. To guard against such tendencies, I find it helpful to pause and pray with the psalmist, “Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. The land you have given me is pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!” (Ps. 16:5-6, NLT)

I find it also helpful to sing with the apostle Paul, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.

……. “Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 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. (Eph. 1:3-8 and 2:3b-5).

One of my many favorite hymns is “Wonderful Grace of Jesus” because it words and melody help me to feel and express my thoughts and heart as I think about God’s grace in my daily life.

Chorus:     

“Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus, deeper than the mighty rolling sea;

higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain, all sufficient grace for even me;

broader than the scope of my transgression, greater far than all my sin and shame;

O magnify the precious name of Jesus, praise His name!”

And, most importantly, the amazing truth we often overlook is that not only does God’s grace make possible our eternal redemption and relationship with God, but it also, and I repeat, “also” provides for our every daily need, be it spiritual, material, emotional, or physical. The apostle Paul lived through some very difficult experiences, and yet he declared, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things and all times having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8).

Wow! Do we really believe and live with such confidence? I am reminded of a children’s song that we would often sing during the various activities in churches I was privileged to pastor.

“God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, he’s so good to me.

He cares for me, he cares for me, he cares for me, he’s so good to me.

I love him so, I love him so, I love him so, he’s so good to me.”

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13@wordpress – 7/21/26