Recently I wrote about skipping over Halloween and going straight to the Thanksgiving Holiday. I plan on making each day Thanksgiving Day!
Wednesday as I was out on my worship walk, I discovered several houses that have already begun the ritual of putting up Halloween decorations. One house had half their roof covered with a black cloth that extended down over their porch. On the cloth were symbols of the Halloween holiday.
As I walked past, a thought occurred to me that rather than being dismayed by the decorations, I am instead going to recall one thing to thank God for each time I walk past one of those decorated residences. I am going to praise God, aloud, and thank Him.
So, this morning, as I passed by, I thanked God for His abundant mercy to me. “Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy.” [Ps 28:6]
The OT word for mercy is “checed.” It has been translated as loving-kindness, steadfast love, grace, mercy, faithfulness, goodness, and devotion. It is used 240 times in the OT and is found frequently in the Psalms. According to Vine’s Dictionary of OT Words, it is one of the most important words in the vocabulary of OT theology and ethics. I find that very interesting … that we find so many occurrences of mercy in the part of the Bible that many consider harsh and punitive.
But I don’t really need Vine’s definition of the word mercy. I’ve experienced it firsthand and will be eternally grateful for it. Ah, I wonder what a Halloween-decorated house will prompt me to thank my LORD for tomorrow?
