The Lord's Mercy Is Always With Us

For this is what the high and lofty One says-

He who lives forever, whose Name is holy:

“I live in a high and holy place,

But also with him who is contrite

And lowly in spirit,

To revive the spirit of the lowly

and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Isaiah 57:15

I love being a parent, but along with parenthood comes occasional guilt. I think of the multitude of times I should have loved my children more than I did. The hurts I caused can haunt me. I think every parent who loves their children feels weighed down by the fact that we are not always perfect for our children. 

We come to God, not sorry that we got caught but crushed by the extent of our sin, our failures, our weaknesses. And God—the lofty One, the King of kings—himself comes to us with the mercy of the Perfect Parent. He comes down from his throne and walks with us, holds us, and revives our hearts with his Word:

You Are Forgiven. 

You are Mine. 

I am always with you. 

I will never leave you. 

The mercy of our Savior is how a parent can step into the next moment not as a failure but as a loved child of God. It is a powerful comfort for us to know that the Perfect Parent is always with us and our children. 

God wants to restore our children. They also have guilt and they are growing up in a culture that doesn’t want to use the words “obey,” “sin,” and “Jesus.” Our Father wants us to share the truth that they are completely loved and forgiven—that God responds in mercy, not judgment, when they are honest about the bad things they have thought and done.

A Daily Prayer:
O Jesus, your power and mercy are beyond the countless galaxies you hold in the palm of your hand. We do not deserve to be in your presence, and yet we find ourselves in you and you in us by your Spirit and by your Word. Give us the love for our children to honestly and lovingly confront them when they sin and give them your promise that they are forgiven and that you are with them. Amen.

Use this verse as a family conversation starter:

Talk about what it means to be truly sorry for our sins and not just sorry that we are caught.

Have your children imagine how big God is as we look at his creation. 

Ask your children to describe God’s love for you as they meditate on the truth that he gave his Son to die in our place and to forgive us. John 3 :16

Give each person an opportunity to tell God about what makes them feel ashamed. 

Thank God together for his forgiveness and the fact that he is always with us.