Hear my cry for mercy
as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
toward your Most Holy Place. Psalm 28:2

When someone is hurt and wounded, one of the cries we hear is justice, justice, justice. That’s all and good until someone points out something we’ve done, and they demand justice!

Yes, justice will come, but not in the ways we think. Instead, like David, we should consider crying out for mercy more often.

Recall in the Old Testament when God threatened to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham pleaded with God that if there were 50, 40, 30, 20, then 10 righteous people, to have mercy on them. God was willing to grant mercy for the sake of 10 righteous people, but they didn’t exist.

So, which camp do you generally fall into: “I wish they’d get their punishment for their sins” or “I hope He doesn’t punish them just yet”?

I think this can be summed up by James M. Barrie: Always be a little kinder than necessary.

Until we are perfected in the way we handle mercy and justice, it’s a pretty good principle to follow. It’s not saying that justice has no part of society, but that we should err on the side of mercy