Articles
Trusting God's Mercy
Do you trust God?
It is easy for us to say that we do. The words are easy. But when life gets exceptionally hard and painful, then it is not so easy to trust God. I’d like to think that I trust Him, but then I think of David and realize I have a lot of room to improve.
Late in David’s life, he sinned against God and was faced with a choice of punishment. He could endure seven years of famine, be pursued by his enemies for three months, or face three days of pestilence from God (II Sam. 24:10-13). David replied, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man” (II Sam. 24:14). The more I think about that response, the more I think it is one of the greatest statements of faith (trust) in the Bible.
David trusted God even after losing three of his sons. One died soon after birth, stricken down by God. Another son was killed by a brother, who then was killed by another relative in battle. God had not just allowed this to happen, He had made it happen. These deaths were punishment for an earlier sin that David committed (II Sam. 12:10,15). No doubt someone could conclude that David was really the one to blame for their deaths. He sinned. He bore the guilt. That is true, but it doesn’t change God’s role. Any parent who loses a child might blame themselves, but it would be natural for them to blame God too.
Besides, David’s loss coming as a result of punishment would especially be of no comfort in this scenario. David was being punished for sin again! He’d seen what that could mean. He’d felt the sting of unimaginable loss. Still, he chose to face three days of God’s wrath because God is merciful.
Can you imagine losing three children and still trusting God? That is amazing faith.
Where does such faith come from? Perhaps David could look back at his life and was able to see both the mercy and judgment of God in reflection. God had blessed David in miraculous ways on multiple occasions. God had kept David safe even while a vengeful king along with the army of Israel repeatedly tried to track him down to kill him. God had been merciful.
But, perhaps, David’s choice was not just about amazing faith in God. It was also about his lack of faith in men. One of the options God had given David was three months of fleeing from his enemies. David had experienced that too. He’d seen how complainers and enemies would crawl out of the cracks the moment he was vulnerable. He’d seen the brutal violence of men on countless battlefields. God was merciful. Men were not. And so, David said, “Do not let me fall into the hand of man” (II Sam. 24:14).
Don’t let tragedies and pain in your life keep you from trusting God. Despite it all, He is still merciful. And if you do find yourself struggling to trust Him, just remember, it is even harder to trust men.
