‘His Mercy Is More’: A Song for the Weary Soul

The cares of this temporary earth have been weighing me down, creating a burden of guilt much like the one on Pilgrim’s back in John Bunyan’s book, The Pilgrim’s Progress.

I feel worn out by momentary worries that should be far from my mind…

If only, we think, we could escape these trials and skip to the triumphs. If only we could be rid of that temptation, that sin struggle. If only we could have the faith or strength that others seem to possess. And on and on and on.

Can you relate to this?

Yet, one thing remains true.

Praise the Lord!

His mercy is more!

Stronger than darkness, new every morn,

Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more!

Dear Christian, His mercy is more.

His Love Is Boundless

What love could remember no wrongs we have done;

Omniscient, all-knowing, He counts not their sum.

Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore;

Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more!

The first verse of this beautiful song “His Mercy Is More,” by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa describes the love that the Almighty God has showered upon us. He knows every sin we have ever committed—that little lie, the excuse for not reading your Bible today, even the annoyed thought that crossed your mind for one fleeting moment. The list could go on forever.

“For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” (James 2:10, ESV)

We could not do anything about our fatal condition. We were doomed to die, eternally separated from a holy God, because of our terrible sin.

And then Jesus came.

Jesus, our Living Hope. Jesus, our Redeemer. Jesus, our Savior.

The song describes the Lord’s love as an ocean, vast and immeasurable, without bottom or shore. His love is that strong, that deep, that powerful. When Jesus sacrificed Himself on our behalf, we who believed in Him were thrown headlong into that ocean.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)

His love is an ocean, never-ceasing, surrounding those in Christ Jesus forever.

His Patience Is Long-Suffering

What patience would wait as we constantly roam;

What Father, so tender, is calling us home.

He welcomes, the weakest, the vilest, the poor;

Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more.

The second verse of the hymn portrays the Father gently welcoming us into His presence. He is patiently waiting until we accept Him and say yes.

In Luke’s gospel, Jesus paints a picture for us through one of His most famous parables:

“So He told them this parable: ‘What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.’” (Luke 15:3-7 ESV)

We are the lost sheep in this parable, who wander listlessly, seeking shelter and nourishment, but finding none. We often think we will never be loved and comforted or find any remedy for our sin problem.

Yet as we wander, the Good Shepherd is patiently calling, waiting for us to run to Him. He offers us all we have ever needed and searched for, and He waits.

The Father welcomes all of us, broken and sinful though we may be, as His prodigal children, His lost sheep, finally returning home.

He is waiting. Will you answer His call?

His Kindness Is Everlasting

What riches of kindness He lavished on us;

His blood was the payment, His life was the cost.

We stood ‘neath a debt we could never afford;

Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more.

The kindness of Christ, our Savior, is the theme of the third verse. The Cross, the ultimate and best gift we could ever receive, is the perfect illustration of this.

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:4-5)

God sent His own dear Son to die in our place, so that we might have the opportunity to live forever with Him. The Lord’s kindness is beyond all measure. Unfathomable. Incomparable.

“Are you not amazed sometimes you should have so much as a hope, that, poor and needy as you are, the Lord thinketh of you?… Our sins are many, but His mercies are more; our sins are great, His righteousness is greater: we are weak, but He is power.” – John Newton

The debt of our sin was impossible to pay off. We were depraved and sinful beyond comparison. But Christ’s blood was the payment, His life was the cost.

We hope in you, Jesus.

Reliable Mercy

Now, we know that Jesus has died willingly for us, and we know that we will live forever in heaven with Him if we believe.

And so, dear Christian, press on. Though trials and temptations and sorrows persist, we must resist the lure to give up. Our ultimate goal in life is to know the Lord, while also making Him known to others. We must rely upon the daily provision of His new mercies, even as we extend the Good News of His mercies to others.

“For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5 ESV)

Be encouraged today, because His mercy is more.

See the link below to see a beautiful lyric video for “His Mercy Is More!”

His Mercy Is More (Official Lyric Video) – Keith & Kristyn Getty (youtube.com)