MANY PEOPLE have the wrong impression about the nature and character of God. They imagine Him as some mean fellow sitting up in Heaven with a big flyswatter. They think the minute they make a mistake God is going to swat them!

Psalm 145:8–9 tells us that God is gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger, and great in mercy to all people. The phrase, “full of compassion,” can also be translated merciful. In other words, to be merciful means to be full of compassion.

Many people think of God’s mercy only in relation to salvation for sinners. Thank God, His mercy is extended to them, but there’s more to God’s mercy than just the provision of salvation for sinners.

The Glory Cloud

Many times in my meetings I found that in magnifying God’s mercy, especially His healing mercy, I would see the glory of God. I particularly remember one time in Colorado where the glory was evident. After I closed that meeting and returned to Tulsa, I received a letter from a woman who had attended the services with her husband.

She said her husband had a severe heart condition and, medically speaking, was beyond help. This woman went on to relate that her husband didn’t want to attend the meeting, but she kept after him until he finally agreed to go.

The woman wrote, “Almost the entire time you were preaching, my husband kept saying, ‘I don’t believe a word of it! He’s just hypnotizing those people.’ ” The woman said she just prayed quietly for her husband.

She wrote, “You stepped back onto the platform, waved your hand, and people started falling under the power of God. My husband said, ‘It’s going all over me!’ ”

The woman asked him what he meant. He answered, “That power he’s talking about! It’s going all over me.”

The man was healed by God’s healing mercy! He went back to the heart specialist for an examination and was told, “Somebody up there likes you. You have a brand-new heart!” The woman who wrote me the letter said, “My husband is a new man, not only new physically, but also new spiritually! He’s been born again!”

You can’t come in contact with the mercy of God without it affecting your life. Through faith in God and His Word, you can receive the mercies of God that include forgiveness of sins, healing for your body, and deliverance from anything that would oppress you. You can obtain whatever you need from your Heavenly Father because He is the Father of mercies!

God’s Compassion and Mercy

While returning to Tulsa on I-70, a 2017 Rhema USA graduate came across a horrendous accident. It involved a semi-truck and a man that committed suicide by running into the path of the oncoming truck. Our hearts go out to individuals who feel their situation is so hopeless. Yet from the following testimony, we see how God extended His hand of mercy to a man in his final moments.

“I was driving home when cars in front of me began veering around something. As I got closer, I saw a man lying in the middle of the road. I felt strongly impressed by the Lord to stop and help. I knew this was a kingdom moment.

“I was the first one on the scene. The man was in terrible shape. His body looked damaged beyond repair, and he was bleeding profusely. But he was still breathing. A sense of urgency arose in my spirit, and I heard, ‘Minister salvation right now!’

“I leaned down and loudly said, ‘Hey brother, right now, you need to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.’ The man began making noises as if he were trying to talk. I said, ‘As I pray, you pray this in your mind, and pray from your heart. Repeat after me.’ I led him in the sinner’s prayer.

“About that time, a police officer arrived. I stepped back as he began administering first aid. Then I heard the officer say to the man, ‘Don’t leave me. Stay with me.’ He began performing CPR. Firefighters and paramedics then arrived on the scene. The paramedics took over but weren’t able to resuscitate him.

“When I went back to my vehicle, I was hit with a note of victory—a note of peace. Reflecting on the situation, I received a greater revelation of the love and tenderhearted mercy of God. The extent that He will go for one person. God’s mercy really does endure forever.”
—Brett