Psalms 13:5

But I have trusted in thy mercy, my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

Trust and rejoice…David’s choice of words for today.  Trust and rejoice are active words. They insinuate we not sit idly by as our day takes form, but rather to become co-creators of our day.  Trust and rejoice, invites us to take part in this thing we call life.  Our life is measured in increments of time and how we spend that time is what our life will be. Pretty simple concept, yes, I know, but how often it eludes us.  I need to be reminded and reminded often.

Let’s look at trust and how it is used in this context of scripture. David proclaims that he puts his trust in God’s Mercy.  Well, what does he mean by that?  In order to understand all that David is implying, we first need to know the meaning of the word Mercy.  I looked it up at dictionary.com and this was the definition:  compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one’s power; compassion, pity, or benevolence. 

And so, Mercy, simply put is receiving compassion when we deserve punishment.  Notice, Mercy is not just  withholding of punishment but it is also the act of giving.  God is so good at this!  He shows us Mercy by withholding the punishment we deserve, but then He takes it a step further by putting Salvation in punishments place.  Thank the Lord, with God, Mercy and Grace go hand-in-hand!  

Now, let’s take a look at the other word, rejoice.  David writes, “…My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.”  The word rejoice, according to dictionary.com, means to be glad and to take delight in.  David takes delight in God’s salvation.

God’s salvation is the second part of this “Mercy” thing.   Remember Mercy and Grace go hand-in-hand.  Dear friends, that is something to truly rejoice about!  We are saved by Grace…it is the gift of God.  Since it is something we don’t deserve then it is also something we can never, ever screw up!

Another good thing about God’s mercy is that it is fresh every morning!  Lamentations 3:22-23 promises, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Let’s join God, today, and  become co-creators of our world!

Trust and rejoice.

Daily Prayer:  Lord, I’m trusting in your Mercy.  I can never be good enough to earn it  or bad enough to escape it, and for this I thank you, because I screw up all the time.  Help me to be proactive through out my day by trusting and rejoicing in your Love.  In Jesus’s wonderful name…name above all names…Amen