Mercy is one of those words so often used, it’s hard to encounter its inner meaning again! The Jews added tender in front of Mercy to describe the heart of The Father God.

Tender mercies. We have no idea of how intensely The Father loves us. Mercy is not pity—it is accepting you in full few of your naked brokeness. That’s the Father’s Heart. He loves us despite ourselves, and in full view of ourselves. If we could receive that, we would be more than saved or approved, validated etc, we would be adored and known, and could act out into our lives accordingly. That Father’s Love is the atomic bomb of transformation of our personal lives.

The Jews use this term of tender Mercy, about their God. It’s beyond Grace. In fact His Grace comes from His Mercy. It is the Father pouring Himself out passionately towards each one of us. It’s not pity. It’s deep felt compassion, or passionate specific care about us.

  When we say Mercy, we mean something like pity, or at best empathy. But what God is talking about is tender mercy. He’s describing His Own heart in these terms! He has Mercy, but a particular type which is tremendously compassionate towards us!

 The deepest passionate compassion for you. The inner heart of Father God. Tender Mercy. Once that is downloaded, everything in your life changes. You are not just barely accepted. You are adored, seen and known, named, given, and can then go serve and help others! He so adores us that He would send what is closest to Him to make us know it in our bones and being! That’s tender mercy.

 It’s not just simple feeling sorry for you, its heartfelt caring towards each of us. That is what is meant by the term in the Torah and later in the New Covenant. To pour out your being for another in passionate care. To go beyond just maybe caring when it works for you, to move into Father’s Love for each creature. To get tender on it. And then to be able to tenderize, melt the hearts of others into His Love. That’s the calling of a Father Heart based spirituality—to move in His Tender Mercies towards others and His creation.

 To care beyond yourself for someone is empathy. God has that empathy, but beyond that, He has true caring for each of us. That was the gospel story as well—for God Loved the world in such a way, that He sacrificed everything that they might know His Tender Mercies for them! Once we know that part of God, loving others become easy, a synch. For His Love is so grand, that we can’t help but overflow it!

 To think of another person, genuinely as as important and majestic and meaningful as yourself. And to be genuinely tender or Kind about it. To give them beyond the benefit of the doubt, to really believe they are who He says they are, that’s the task.

 His Kindness excels anything we have experienced. His Kindness combines with His mercy having fully seen us naked as we are, into Tender Mercy. That’s how the Jews name Him, and it’s true of Father God. He has tender mercy towards us each.

Its not just Mercy, its in kindness towards us. Let us receive that tonight, and be moved in it and by it.