Romans 9:16 (NKJV)

“So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”

If there’s one thing we need in life, it is the mercy of God. We can’t achieve anything without His mercy. All our best efforts will fall face down if they are not supported by God’s mercy.  God’s mercy lifts up one and the lack of God’s mercy pulls down the other. Mercy is the lifeline that we need for survival and prosperity in anything we do. If there’s one thing we earnestly need, it is the mercy of God.

But God’s mercy is not tied to our works. For mercy to be mercy, we cannot earn it or deserve it. Mercy is a function of God’s sovereignty and that’s why scriptures say, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion” – Verse 15 (NKJV) and again, “So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it” – Verse 16 (NLT). We cannot choose mercy or work for it. The best we can do is cry to God for His mercy, and for those of us in Christ, we know we have His mercy through Christ, for Jesus is the personification of God’s mercy.

“Lord, I am assured of Your mercy through Christ. And although I have it, I yet cry for it. I am nothing and can never become anything, without Your mercy Oh Lord God. Amen.”