God’s mercy is so amazing that it is scandalous – even in your sin, he rescued you, and God is still saving you right now, flooding you with grace upon grace.
If you’re suffering and struggling with resentful feelings about God, well, hey, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and I have been there. I mean, believe me, I understand, ’cause when doctors told me I’d have to live in a wheelchair for the rest of my life, it was like, “Say what?” And when people tried to comfort me with the fact that God was so sovereign, at first, that didn’t help at all. I mean, if he was sovereign over my suffering, then there was no doubt who was to blame, right? God’s in charge? Well, then, “We know whose fault it is!” Friend, it’s scandalous to think that way, but I did. And I wonder if you have ever wrestled with those feelings. If you have, then you are in good company with some prophets in the Old Testament, including Job.
But here’s the amazing thing about God. In fact, it is so amazing, it is also scandalous. Because even though God’s people in the Old Testament faulted their sovereign God for all their suffering and hardship, nevertheless, in Isaiah 63:8 it says that “[God] became their Savior.” And then, get this, it says, “In all their distress he too was distressed… In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.”
Okay, so stop right there. I can picture the angels thinking, “God, what are you doing? Why in the world would you do anything to help these people who badmouth you and trample underfoot every good thing you’ve ever done for them? God, this is scandalous. Your mercy is an outright scandal!” And it’s true. God’s mercies to me and to you are scandalous. As resentful as I once felt against God, he should never have put up with me. Nevertheless, Isaiah 63 helps us understand the goodness and kindness of the Lord toward us, his people. The New King James Version reads this way; it says, “In all their affliction He [too] was afflicted.” Hey, don’t you love that? Think of all the times your afflictions have incited you to grumble and complain against God, and how affliction turns you into an amnesiac when it comes to all the good things God’s done for you, and yet the tenderness of God is aroused when you hurt. His love is stirred when you are in trouble. He feels your distress when you don’t know which way to go, where to turn, or how to heal your deepest hurts. But he just doesn’t “feel” for you; no. Rather, Isaiah 63 reminds you that God did more than just save you way back when when you first believed; no, God is saving you right now. He’s rescuing you today, flooding you with grace upon grace, if you would but humble yourself and turn to him.
It is why I love Isaiah 63 so much. God felt my distress, my sufferings, my affliction; and he rescued me in my misery – I didn’t deserve it but, then again, that’s the nature of mercy. He lifted me up and has carried me all these many years I’ve lived in my wheelchair. So, if you are a little resentful about all the hardships you’re dealing with, God won’t leave you alone in your misery; he will come to your aid. It may not be the exact remedy you want at the time you want it, but his grace will be there, turning your tragedy into a triumph. Believe me, after all these years I’ve spent in a wheelchair, God has a thousand ways of showing his care and his concern for your welfare. And the best way of all: Jesus Christ. For here is one who has been touched by your tears and has felt your deepest distress. He’s full of mercy for you, and that, my friend, is why the Good News of Jesus is so great.
© Joni and Friends