Motivated by Mercy

Psalm 51:13

Motivated By Mercy 

What do we need that we don’t deserve and we cannot earn? The answer to the question is the Mercy of God. Psalm 51 is a portrait of a repentant man humbly pleading for God’s tender mercies. The first request from David to God in Psalm 51 is; Have mercy upon me, O God. David teaches us when we sin against God we must go directly to God in prayer. We uncover our sins before God when we confess our sins to God. When we sin against God we must humbly seek his mercy with a broken and contrite spirit. In addition to seeking God’s mercy in prayer we must also ask him to help us to be a merciful person. Seeking the mercies of God for ourselves and others must be our chief priority. Although many people view being merciful as a sign of weakness, Jesus proclaims during his mighty sermon on the mountain, “blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy”. (Matthew 5:7) being merciful is not a weakness, it’s a blessing, being merciful isn’t an easy thing to do, but it's the Christ-like thing to do. The love of Christ is displayed through his people when they bestow mercy on others. To be Christ like is to be merciful. As we return to psalm 51 the first 12 verses records 15 prayer requests from David to God. He is asking, seeking, and knocking for the mercies of God. His prayer of repentance can be summarized with these three words: Lord have Mercy. He is convicted of three key truths in psalm 51. 

1. David is convicted and fully persuaded he has sinned.
2. He is convicted and fully persuaded God has mercy.
3. He is also convicted that God alone is able to forgive his sin and meet his every need. 

The first 12 verses record David pleading to God to work on his behalf, but verse 13 is about David working for the glory of God on the behalf of transgressors. The mercies of God motivated David to think about more than himself. The mercies of God motivated David to have a hunger and a thirst for souls being saved. As he trusted God to mercifully move on his behalf, he was motivated to move mercifully on the behalf of others. The love that we have for God has to be manifested in how we treat other people. The mercies of God motivated David to move with compassion and reach lost souls. The mercies God bestowed upon him motivated him to be a blessing to others. When we remember the mercies of God we will be motivated to be merciful to others. We don’t work for mercy, but we must work from mercy. What does the mercy of God motivate you to do on the behalf of people? God is a merciful God and we must be a merciful people. May God bless you to accomplish great work that flows from a heart that is Motivated by Mercy. Lord thank you for your mercy. “ O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endures forever. (Psalm 136)