Knowing God’s Mercy and not Trusting in our Effort nor being Disappointed by Failures

The most far-reaching of God’s attributes is His mercy, reaching us in a condition where we don’t deserve His grace; it is not of him who wills or who runs but of God who shows mercy, and we need God’s mercy, we depend on His mercy, and God has mercy on whomever He wills to have mercy.

Lord Jesus, unveil us to see the mercy of God reaching us all the time. We come forward to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace. Have mercy on us. Oh Lord, You see where we are, who we are, and what we have done. Extend Your mercy to us and upon us, and bring us into a condition where we can enjoy Your grace. Amen!

This week we come to Matthew 5:7 and we want to see an important subject, Blessed are the Merciful, for They Shall be Shown Mercy and Receive Mercy. What a mercy from the Lord that we can be in His word.

What a mercy it is for us to love the Lord, enjoy Him, and be willing to come to Him again and again.

As believers in Christ, we are the kingdom people, and the Lord wants to make us His kingdom people in full, even in reality, in our daily living. He wants to gain a people for His kingdom. So we open to Him.

Day by day, morning and evening, and even throughout the day, we open to the Lord for Him to work in us. We want to be under His speaking, his perfecting, and His working so that He may gain us as the kingdom people He needs today.

May He particularly unveil us to see the matter of His mercy, a particular attribute of God.

Our God is a God of mercy. How we marvel at His mercy! We want to see God’s mercy as we have never seen it before.

In Matthew 5:7 we are told, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy. Those who are merciful, even as God is merciful, will receive mercy, and they will be shown mercy.

We have seen that, as kingdom people, we first need to be poor in spirit, being emptied in our being to receive more of the Lord again and again.

Then, as we receive His feelings and desires, we mourn over the present situation, for we realise that the world and the people around us are in opposition to God.

Even in our being, so many things exist and oppose God, so we mourn, pray, and stand with the Lord on the earth.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted! As we mourn and are poor in spirit, we are those who are meek. We are not so proud or accomplished but rather, we are meek toward others.

We hunger and thirst for righteousness, for we desire the righteousness of God to be seen on earth. And as such ones, we are the merciful, those who enjoy the mercy of God and also show mercy to others.

God has Mercy on Whomever He has Mercy: His Mercy Reaches Farther than His Grace

In Romans 9:15-16 we read that God will have mercy on whomever He will have mercy, and it is not of him who wills nor of him who runs but of God who shows mercy.

When we read this, are we affected in our being? God’s mercy toward us is so far-reaching. It is the Lord’s mercy that we are here.

Mercy is the most far-reaching of God’s attributes, going further than His grace and love (Matt. 9:13). God’s mercy reaches people like us, who were in a desperate situation.

We may not have realised it, we may not have understood it, but the fact of the matter is that we are the most desperate kind of people. The only thing that can help us is mercy.

The fact that we are saved is due to God’s mercy. The fact that we are in the church life is a matter of God’s mercy. He had mercy on us.

It’s not of him who wills nor of him who runs but of God who shows mercy.

According to our natural condition, we were far removed from God, totally unworthy of His grace; we were eligible only to receive His mercy (Eph. 2:4).

God’s mercy reaches farther than His love. God loves us because we are the object of His selection. But because of the fall, we became pitiful, even dead in our offenses and sins. Therefore, we need God’s mercy because of His great love.

God is rich in mercy to save us out of our wretched position to a condition that is suitable for His love.

His mercy, the most far-reaching attribute of who He is, reaches us in the most pitiful situation, going further even than His love and His grace to reach us, to bring us back, so that we may experience His love and grace.

We did not deserve anything from God; we were dead in sins and offenses. But God had mercy upon us in our miserable situation.

What we deserved was just punishment and judgment, but God had mercy on us, and He reached to us in His mercy. It is all about His mercy.

Even our disobedience affords God’s mercy an opportunity, and God’s mercy brings us to salvation (Rom. 11:32).

Grace extends to a person who is qualified to receive grace; mercy, however, extends to someone who is unworthy.

If a friend of ours gives us a gift, that can be likened to grace; we are his friend, we are qualified, so we receive grace. But if we are a poor, unclean beggar, unable to do anything for ourselves, and someone gives us a gift, that is mercy.

Grace extends to a situation that corresponds to it; mercy, however, goes even further, reaching into a situation that is poor and unworthy of grace.

Thank the Lord that He has reached where we are, even to who we are, to extend His mercy to us. He had mercy on us and brought us to a situation and condition where we can enjoy His grace.

None of us were in a condition that corresponded to His grace; it is God’s mercy that has brought us into His grace. When we realise this, we will worship God for His mercy!

Even now, after we are regenerated and have the life of God, we still need His mercy. In many ways, we are still in a condition that needs God’s mercy to reach us. We need to receive God’s mercy.

This is why Hebrews 4:16 says that, when we come to the throne of grace, we receive mercy first and then find grace. We desperately need God’s mercy.

Our righteous deeds are like filthy rags before God, but God has mercy on us. We need to obtain mercy and then we can find grace for timely help. How much we need God’s mercy!

May we treasure His mercy as much as we appreciate His grace. It is God’s mercy that qualifies us to participate in His grace. Thank the Lord for His mercy!

Lord, thank You for having mercy on us. Thank You for reaching to us where we are, in the lowest condition and the farthest place, to have mercy on us. How we worship You for Your mercy. Your mercy is so deep and so profound. Oh, God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, He reached out to us and qualified us to come to Him and enjoy His grace! How we praise You, Lord, for Your mercy, Your most far-reaching attribute! Thank You for coming to us again and again, in our condition that is totally unworthy of Your grace, to show us mercy. Oh Lord, even our disobedience affords Your mercy an opportunity to be manifested. May Your mercy bring us to salvation. Keep us under Your mercy. We just come to You as we are. We are not worthy, Lord, but Your mercy has reached us. We are not qualified, but You qualify us by reaching us in Your mercy and bringing us to a place where we can enjoy Your love and mercy. We worship You, God, for Your mercy!

When we Know God’s Mercy, we will Not Trust in our Effort nor be Disappointed by our Failures

According to Romans 9:16, it is not of him who wills nor of him who runs but of God who shows mercy.

Our concept is that the one who wills will gain what he wills to obtain, and the one who runs will gain what he runs after.

Especially in this world today, those who really want something and work hard will get it, and those who strive to obtain something, they seem to gain what they are after. This is not how it works with God.

If this were the case with God, His selection would be according to our effort and labour. This means that we would never be qualified, for we are not good enough, we do not meet God’s standard, and we are in a pitiful situation.

Even today in our Christian life, as we live the Christian life and the church life, we need to realise that it is not a matter of our running, our striving, or even our seeking; it is a matter of God’s mercy.

Our running and striving will not accomplish anything; it is all a matter of God’s mercy.

We need to pursue Christ, seek Him, read the Bible, pray, and be in the meetings of the church, but we should not trust in our effort and work of pleasing God and doing things for Him.

Our running should be in the Lord and before the Lord, and as we run and pursue Christ, we need to realise that it is God’s mercy that we do this.

The only way we can run, pursue Christ, and enjoy the Lord is because God had mercy on us.

It is not about our effort. It is not about our self-improvement to be a better brother or sister who perfects himself to say the right thing and not offend others.

As we come to the Lord in His word and remain under His speaking both personally and corporately, we need to realise that God doesn’t want us to try to improve ourselves, to be better, and to be a bit more perfected.

He only wants us to come to Him as we are to enjoy Him, and He will have mercy on us.

We may have a desire to shepherd others, but we should realise that it’s not a matter of our desire or our will but of God’s mercy.

We need to ask for HIs mercy to be upon us and in us so that we may be able to live the Christian life, pursue Christ, meet with the saints, and shepherd the saints.

May the Lord, by His mercy, cause us to be proper Christians and proper members in the Body of Christ.

As we open to Him regarding this matter, we first enjoy His mercy and then we partake of His grace (Heb. 4:16).

God’s selection is of God who shows mercy; we don’t need to will or to run, for God has mercy on us.

This doesn’t mean that we should be passive, doing nothing, for God will do everything for us, and He will have mercy on us.

Rather, as we pursue Christ, live Christ, and live the Christian life and the church life, we need to realise that it is all a matter of God’s mercy.

If we know God’s mercy, we will neither trust in our effort nor be disappointed with our failures; the hope for our wretched condition is in God’s mercy (Eph. 2:4).

Sometimes we may think we are doing well, for we put more effort into having a time with the Lord in the morning, reading the Bible daily, and meeting with the saints regularly; our going on in the Lord is a matter of God’s mercy, not of our effort.

Sometimes we are in a low condition, we don’t contact the Lord regularly, and we feel like we are not progressing spiritually; rather, it seems that we are plagued only by failures.

We need to realise that the hope for our wretched condition is only the mercy of God.

If we know the mercy of God, we will realise that we cannot trust in our efforts nor should we be disappointed with our failures, for our hope is in God’s mercy.

It is His mercy, not our running. It is God’s mercy, not our striving and pursuing.

On our side, we do our best to cooperate with the Lord and, like Paul, forget the things behind and stretch forward to the things before to gain more Christ.

But it is God’s mercy that we advance in the Lord, and it is His mercy that we enjoy His grace.

God loves us. He wants us to enjoy Him as grace and love. So He extends His mercy to us to bring us to the right condition for us to enjoy HIs grace.

We see this in type in Luke 15:20-24, when the prodigal son returned; the father had compassion on him (compassion is the deeper mercy expressing the affectionate love of the father) and he clothed his son with the best robe to qualify him to eat and drink, partaking of the riches in the father’s house.

We may think we are not as bad as the prodigal son, but many times we are in need of His mercy first, and then His grace is our portion.

Lord Jesus, thank You for having mercy on us to select us and bring us into the kingdom of God. Hallelujah, it is not of him who wills nor of him who runs but of God who shows mercy! Thank You, Lord, for showing mercy and saving us! Thank You for bringing us into the church life where we can enjoy the grace of God and His love together with all the saints. Oh Lord, may we know Your mercy. May we realise it is all of Your mercy, and not of our effort or running. We come to You as we are, and we give ourselves to You to just enjoy You and partake of Your riches. Have mercy on us, Lord. We come forward to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace for timely help. May we know Your mercy and realise that our effort and our failures are not trustworthy. Oh, the hope for our wretched condition is in God’s mercy, for His mercy prevails! Amen, Lord, we thank You for Your mercy, bringing us to a condition where we can partake of Your love and grace! Amen!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers on this topic, and portions from, The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 10, by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crucial Aspects of Matthew 5 through 7 (2025 September ITERO), week 4, Blessed Are the Merciful, for They Shall Be Shown Mercy and Receive Mercy – day 1.
• Similar articles on this topic:
  – Having mercy on us, a portion from, Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 3, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee.
  – 2 Peter (Program #10) – The Divine Government (3), via, Bible study radio.
  – God’s mercy, a portion from, Gospel of God, The (2 volume set), Chapter 2, by Watchman Nee.
  – Mercy Now and unto Eternal Life, via, New Jerusalem blog.
  – Sincerity, goodness, mercy, a portion from, Conclusion of the New Testament, The (Msgs. 001-020), Chapter 10, by Witness Lee.
  – God’s Far-reaching Mercy, via, Bibles for America blog.
  – His Mercy Reached Me, a testimony via, The Church in Dallas.
  – God’s Mercy, quote via, Living to Him.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – God, we praise Thee for Thy mercy, / ’Tis so great and so profound! / In our weakness and our failures; / With its greatness it abounds. / We adore Thee! we adore Thee! / With such mercy we’ve been crowned! / With such mercy we’ve been crowned! (Hymns #26 stanza 1)
  – By His mercy, we’re selected, / Ours a glorious destiny. / Not by running, nor by willing, / But through God’s own sovereignty. / Once we were wild olive branches, / Now the root and fat partake, / Grafted in, rejoice together, / Growing for the kingdom’s sake. (Hymns #1203 stanza 7)
  – God’s compassion is my story, / Is my boasting all the day; / Mercy free and never failing / Moves my will, directs my way. / God so loved us, God so loved us, / That His only Son He gave, / That His only Son He gave. (Hymns #33 stanza 3)