“Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name." – Daniel 9:18-19
Thomas Tarrants was a Ku Klux Klansman and was imprisoned for bomb-making, escaping custody, and other acts of violence.
It was during his second sentence in prison that he came to Christ. Thomas remembers: “As I read the Gospels in my prison cell, my eyes were opened in a way that went beyond simply understanding the words on the page. As the true meaning of God’s Word became clearer, so did its relevance to my life. I had been blind to spiritual reality all my life and was now beginning to see.
As this process unfolded, my sins came to mind, one after another. Conviction grew, and with it tears of repentance. I needed God’s forgiveness. And I knew it came only through trusting Jesus, who had given his life to pay for my sins. One night I knelt on the concrete floor of my cell and prayed a simple prayer, confessing my sins and asking Jesus to forgive me, take over my life, and do whatever he wanted to with it.
The next morning, I awoke with a deep hunger for Scripture and a desire to pray and to live for God. As I read the Bible daily, a whole new world opened up to me, and I couldn’t get enough! Early on, God delivered me from hate, and I began to grow in love for others. Friendships developed with black inmates and others who were very different from me.
After serving eight years in prison, an extraordinary—some would say miraculous—turn of events resulted in a parole grant to attend university. That set in motion a series of developments that, over the next 40 years, led me first into campus ministry, then pastoral ministry in a racially mixed church.
I marvel at his continuing patience in my life. Truly, with God, there is no sin too great to forgive, no bondage too hard to break, and no pit so deep that his love isn’t deeper still.”
Of all of the qualities of God, mercy is the one we need most. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He is merciful.
“The only haven of safety is in the mercy of God, a manifested in Christ, in whom every part of our salvation is complete.” – John Calvin
God’s Word: “For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.” – Deuteronomy 4:31
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