Neville Turley

“Happy are those who are merciful to others; God will be merciful to them!”  Matthew 5:7 (GNB) 

Jonah was in a spiritual crisis. The Lord knew how angry he was that Nineveh had not been punished but he had not agreed with him, instead he had told him that he had no right to be angry.

Willful Jonah did what little children are particularly adept at doing when they don’t get their own way – he went off and sulked.

Leaving Nineveh, he went off into the sweltering countryside. There he made a shelter for shade and sat and waited to see what would happen to the city.

Almighty God, the Lord and King of all creation is also our Father. A father is one who loves his children deeply, constantly cares for them and acts in their best interests.

When Jonah sat outside Nineveh sulking and choking with anger towards God, it was the Lord God himself who reached out with fatherly compassion to care and counsel him.

God still reaches out in love to every soul in his kingdom and that includes you and me. No matter how much we grieve him, he is merciful to us and expects us to be merciful to others.

Mercy is the ability to be compassionate, to show loving kindness and to comfort those in distress.  It is not an instinct with which we are born. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit and one we all need to cultivate in our walk through life. (Romans 12:18)

Prayer: Heavenly Father may we be led by the Holy Spirit to reach out and assist those who are hurting and in so doing bring glory to you. In Jesus Name. Amen