MERCY IN THE MESS

“And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make” – Jeremiah 18: 4

MERCY converts a MESS into a MESSAGE! God’s Mercy turns the MESS in our lives into MESSAGES for His Glory! Mercy gives meaning to the mess! Let’s ponder on our relationships: marriage, parenting, friendship, and others. God wants to manifest His Mercy in the mess of your relationships. We all desire the perfect relationship: devoid of disagreement, anger, conflict, control, strife, and power struggles. The practical reality however is that all of our relationships operate in the same location – the fallen world – and are all with the same kind of people – imperfect human beings. Whereas the vessel of clay looked like a f “mess” in the hands of the Potter, He envisioned a masterpiece awaiting manifestation after divine processing: “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make” (Jer.18:4).

You may right now be facing challenges in a relationship that you never imagined you’d face; dealing with such deep hurt and disappointment that you simply don't know what to do. You may be wondering what in the world God is doing! You may be tempted to doubt His goodness and query His love. Let these three messages unveil meaning to the ‘mess’:

There is no error in God: He never gets a wrong address. He determines the exact place where you’ll live and the exact duration of your life (Acts 17:25-26). Your life isn’t out of control. God is not through with you. He hasn't turned His back on His promises to you. What you’re facing isn’t the result of God forgetting you. Rather, it IS the result of God being faithful to His promises. The night will not last forever. After the night will come the dawn: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psa.30:5b).

God is in the middle of the mess with you: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psa.46:1). You are never alone. God is IN the trouble, the fire, and the flood, with you (Isa.43:2). Isolation is never your portion as a child of God. He ensures that you’re never in a location all by yourself; and never in a relationship all by yourself. You’ll not endure difficulty in isolation. God is always with you as your “Refuge” – a place pf protection to run into; and your “Strength” – help in your moments of greatest discouragement and weakness.

God gives meaning to the mess: He is up to something good in the mess. He has a purpose for the pain. He makes “all things” – even the mess – work together for your good, “according to His purpose” (Rom.8:28). In trying to make sense out of life, know this: the mess is not an indication that God isn’t working in your life. Don’t conclude wrongly, that if God were at work, you wouldn't be in such a mess. There is meaning in themess: because God loves you so, He’s not satisfied with you as you are. He is working to change, mold, and mature you to conform to the Image of His Son. His love doesn’t leave us in our immaturity and weakness.

God takes us where we don’t want to go in order to produce in us what we couldn’t achieve on our own – Character. And more often than not, He uses the difficult experiences of life to expose and transform our hearts. Here is where relationships often come in. Messy relationships expose our hearts, bring us to the end of ourselves and cause us to reach out for the Mercy and help that only Jesus can give us. No doubt, it is hard to face the hurt and disappointment of a relationship gone sour, but in Christ, there is hope. You’re never alone. The One who’s with you is up to something very good. You’ll find Mercy right in the middle of the mess!