Verse Nine: Psalm 31:7

"I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities and have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place." Psalm 31:7-8 (NKJV)

(verse 9 of the 44 H1523)

Mercy. 

Did you know the webster definition of mercy is "compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm." I didn't, in fact I don't think I have ever bothered to research the word. It's one of those concepts you just get. Mercy is that scene in the movies when a man is about to be killed or beaten and he cries out for "Mercy!" Sounds kinda weird and dumb when I type it out, haha! But when I read the definition, something more clicked. 

Lets be honest, we don't always believe in God's mercy, do we? I think most of us tend to get hung up on our faults and how much we don't deserve mercy. Somehow we think it's easier. It certainly seems more logical. I did X so I deserve X. It's consequences. We've learned that since birth. Touch the hot stove you get burned, tell a lie people get angry with you, get an A on the test and you get approval. Being in a relationship with God doesn't mean that there are no longer bad consequences, that's not what I am saying... King David made mistakes and he still had to face the consequences of them and he was the "man after God's own heart."  But Love can cover a multitude of sins, right? To be loved in spite of all you have done, to be loved through the mess and darkness, to never be alone because He is always with you? That can make all the adversity so much easier. Christ takes the love further than simply warm cuddly feelings. Romans 8:1-2 (The Message) says

"With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death."

His mercy has given us freedom. What a wonderful reason to rejoice and be glad today and everyday!