Divine Mercy

I gladly welcome you to the month of May, the second month of the second quarter of this year. We give all glory to our almighty and gracious God, who has sustained this parish for the past 17 years, leading us with giant strides on many fronts.

Indeed, it has been 17 years of immeasurable faithfulness, a demonstration of the unequalled power of God, an indescribable display of His mercy, the tenacious sustaining grace of God, the unstoppable expansion of His kingdom, and a truly exciting spiritual experience.

The story of this parish is a testimony that when God is your pillar and fortress, you become untouchable by the forces of darkness, no matter how they try and plan against you. It is testimony that the Church of God is marching on, and the gates of hell cannot prevail.

What God is doing in this parish is both extraordinary and awesome, and I congratulate you for being part of it. You will continually be relevant in the things of the kingdom in Jesus’ name.

The theme for this month is DIVINE MERCY. Our anchor scripture is Isaiah 30:18:

“And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.”

Divine mercy is the expression of God’s extraordinary love and compassion towards us. We do not attract this love, nor do we deserve it, but we are being given unconditionally. This is what differentiates divine mercy from mercy exhibited by human beings, which is conditional and often comes with reciprocity.

God’s mercy is elastic; hence, the Bible says, “His mercy endures forever.” It is also eternal as it transcends from one generation to another. Divine mercy shows that God is mindful of us and He cares so much for us, hence His words in Isaiah 54:7-8, which say

“For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.”

Here, He talks about gathering us to Himself with great mercies, having mercy on us with His everlasting kindness, promising us that His kindness shall not depart from us while His covenant of peace will be with us permanently (Isaiah 54:10). No man can do this even if he wishes.

Why Divine Mercy Matters:

• It is everlasting – “His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 136).

• It is generational – passed from one generation to another.

• It brings peace of mind and removes divine wrath.

• It gives us continuous access to the fountain of compassion.

• It led to the gift of Jesus Christ for our eternal salvation.

The implication of divine mercy is that it is embedded in rest of mind, taking away the wrath of God from our lives and always drinking from the fountain of His compassion. Added to this is the fact that it is out of divine mercy that God sends His only begotten son to us for the purpose of eternal salvation from damnation.

This is indicative for those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal saviour to do so without delay.

This act of divine mercy also teaches us that we should exhibit mercy and kindness in every aspect of our lives. Let us learn from Jesus Christ how to forgive and forget permanently. Sin pollutes a life of mercy; hence, I employ you to flee away from sin, re-dedicate your life to Jesus Christ, and entrust the entirety of your life into His hands. You will continuously live a life of dominion in Jesus’ name.

Happy New Month!