If there’s anything I have learned about the Lord, it is that He changes not.  I’ve often heard people say, “Well, you never know what God is going to do.”
    I’m feel the need to step on someone’s religious toes here, because I always know what God is going to do.  How do I know?  Do I have a special gift that gives me an inside track to God’s plans?  No, but I do have a Holy Bible, and by diligently studying it, I have learned the nature of God and how He operates concerning mankind.  One thing about God, He is always predictable, much to our benefit.  You’re not going to wake up one morning to see that God has changed His mind about the color of the sky.  It was blue when we were born, and it will be blue when we die.  Now, if one day we woke up and the grass was where the sky was, and our homes were sitting on clouds, and another day trees were red with blue polka-dots, I might be convinced indeed that “you never know what God is going to do”, but that just hasn’t happened.  And it won’t.  I said it won’t, because God changes not.
    Thankfully, the Word says, God is good, and His mercy endures forever.  Now, what does that mean for us?  It means God was merciful in the beginning, however many billions of years ago that was.  By the way, I’m not talking about God’s beginning, I’m talking about “time’s beginning”.  One day I was thinking, if I could ask God just one question, it would be “What is the first thing You remember, Lord?”  Of course, there isn’t a “first thing” with God, but if there was, don’t you imagine it would be His mercy?  For ages without end, He is merciful. 
   Because of His mercy for the inhabitants of heaven, God cast Lucifer and his followers out when they became sinful, so heaven wouldn’t be corrupted and ruined by the presence of evil.   Because of His mercy, God cast Satan to the earth instead of just simply destroying him.  When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them complete dominion over all the earth, except for one little tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But when Satan tempted Eve and got her and Adam to sin, God had to shed the blood of an innocent animal to cover their sins, so He could still have fellowship with them.  But the shedding of animal blood could not put away and eliminate sin forever.  So because of God’s great mercy, there had to be another plan.  Most of us would call it “Plan B”, but really it was “Plan A”, because it is written the Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the world.  Before there was ever a world, or sin in it, God had the mercy and foresight to provide for us a Savior in Christ Jesus. 
    You see, God could have turned His back on sinful and rebellious mankind, and we deserve it, but He didn’t.  Why not?  Because that is not God’s character.  He is driven by His great mercy.  He could have said, “I’m all for mankind being saved from their sins, and if they can find a way to save themselves, fine, but I’m not going to get involved.  They made their bed, let them lie in it.”  The mercy of God came through because He could not forsake His own, any more than you could forsake your arm if it started hurting you real bad.  You would not cut your arm off because it hurt you, for it is part of you and you need it.  And yes, God needs you.
   You were created to have constant fellowship with God sothat He might delight in you.  Now, if you are a parent, you want what is best for your children.  If it were in your power, they would never suffer want or sickness in their entire life, right?  That’s mercy at work in you.  But the mercy of God goes beyond His thinking nice thoughts toward you.  He has the means to actually do something about your situation.  After all, He’s Almighty God.  Add to that the fact that by nature He is merciful and benevolent, and you start getting the idea things could be looking up for you. 
    It is written that God is not willing that any perish, but all come to repentance.  Part of that process of repentance is to get rid of your foolish notion that God does not love you.  He does!  Did God sacrifice you so that His Son Jesus might live?  No!  He sacrificed His Son so that YOU might live!  Does that tell you anything about the nature of God?  Get rid of the silly notion that God wants you sick, or is trying to teach you a lesson by putting sickness on you.  First off, God is not the one who put sickness on you, the devil did that.  God is good, and He provided Christ Jesus to save you from your sins and heal you.  Get the facts straight: God is for you, not against you.  Stop listening to the devil’s lies. God’s mercy endures forever, and right now, that mercy is directed to YOU! 
    Right now, stop what you’re doing and get on your knees and thank God for His mercy.  You don’t have to get “religious” about it, just get real with God.  Just you and God; shut the rest of the world out.  Pour your heart out to Him, for He cares for you.  Although God is still in the miracle business, He needs something to work with.  So before He can pour out His mercy, He needs a vessel to pour His mercy into.  Guess what?  You’re it, and God’s here.  Sounds like a match made in heaven.  Pray with me:
   Father God in heaven, I come to You in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank You that You are the God of mercy.  I need Your mercy, right now.  Lord, I ask You, forgive my sins and heal me and make me whole in spirit, soul, and body.  Let Your mercy start working in me right now, changing me, so that I might in turn show Your mercy unto others. I ask this in Jesus’ name.  Amen.