There’s a wideness in God’s mercy

Tuesday 28th July 2026

“The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying, ²“Please inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all His wonderful works, that the king may go away from us.” ³Then Jeremiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, ⁴‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the walls; and I will assemble them in the midst of this city. ⁵I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger and fury and great wrath.” Jeremiah 21:1-5 NKJV

Awesome and Mighty God,

Ten years after Daniel and the leadership has been taken into exile, the Chaldeans (A tribe of the Babylonians) return to attack Jerusalem. They lay siege around it walls. King Zedekiah is naturally afraid, mainly for himself maybe? He asks Jeremiah for prophecy as the other prophets are silent. Having been proved wrong in the past.

Jeremiah does not give him any options this time as You, God are not going to. This time Jeremiah warns him that even You, God, will fight against him and Jerusalem. They knew what we are told in the New Testament (Hebrews 10:31), “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. The Psalmist says, “I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments.” (119:60) He rushed not out of fear but because he wanted to serve You. A God of mercy and generosity.

So Lord, Am I afraid of You? Yes I think there is a little awesome fear as You are almighty, the Creator and Holy One and I am sinful. But You are also my Saviour, my Redeemer and my friend. I want to show my gratitude by doing what is right in Your sight. With no delay? Judgement and mercy. We deserve the one and You grant us the other – if we choose You and Your way.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Tuesday 28th July 2026
A simple chorsu I like to sneak in once a year or so. It so reassures and blesses me.

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
That is wider than the deepest sea
And so I know it covers even me.
There’s a depth to His compassion
That is deeper than I’ll understand
And so my life is safe within His hands.

His love is deep enough for me
To cause these blinded eyes to see
To set this lowly captive free from sin.
His grace is flowing from above
Reflected in the Saviour’s love
O precious Father help me take it in.

Repeat

Lyrics: Geoff Baker

Saturday 13th June 2026

“The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Hear, all you peoples! Listen, O earth, and all that is in it! Let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from His holy temple. ³For behold, the Lord is coming out of His place; He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth. ⁴The mountains will melt under Him, and the valleys will split like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place. ⁵All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem? And for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem? ” Micah 1:2-5 NKJV

“Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals and a mourning like the ostriches, ⁹for her wounds are incurable. For it has come to Judah; it has come to the gate of My people—
To Jerusalem.” Micah 1:8-9 NKJV

Lord God of all the earth,

Micah was speaking out at the same time as Isaiah and against both Judah and Israel. And as we read his book, well I get the impression he was animated, emotional and passionate and fully convinced of Your judgement. Prepared to go naked, wailing and making terrible noises like deeply grieving women at a funeral. F0r he said Judah and Israel’s wounds were incurable. Yet Micah is desperate for them to experience God’s mercy.

The trouble is, Micah says, is that everyone in the nation is offensive to God. The general public are evildoers (Micah 2:1-5). The prophets lie (Micah 2:6-11). The rulers are wicked (Micah 3:1-3). And the punishment will be unbearable (Micah 6:9-16). They will be sick, desolate, hungry, unproductive, and everything they do will come to nothing.

But he cannot neglect Your mercy. Micah also paints a beautiful picture of how it can be turned around if they confess to You their sin (Micah 7:8-15). They will again be a witness to other nations (Micah 7:16-20). God their judge could be God their Saviour.

You God, do not retain Your anger forever, You delight in mercy. You had compassion on us too
and subdued our iniquities. You cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. (From Micah 7:18b-19). There are not words enough . . . to thank You for Jesus.

Worship Saturday 13th June 2026

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
that is wider than the greatest sea;
and so I know-it covers even me.
There’s a depth to his compassion
that is deeper than I’ll understand;
and so my life is safe within his hands.

His love is deep enough for me,
to cause these blinded eyes to see,
to set this lowly captive free from sin.
His grace is flowing from above,
reflected in the Saviour’s love-
O precious Father, help me take it in.

Lyrics: Geoff Baker

Sunday 7th June 2026

” ¹Say to your brethren, ‘My people,’ And to your sisters, ‘Mercy is shown.’ ²“Bring charges against your mother, bring charges; For she is not My wife, nor am I her Husband! Let her put away her harlotries from her sight, And her adulteries from between her breasts; ³Lest I strip her naked And expose her, as in the day she was born, And make her like a wilderness, And set her like a dry land, And slay her with thirst. ⁴“I will not have mercy on her children, For they are the children of harlotry. ⁵For their mother has played the harlot; She who conceived them has behaved shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, Who give me my bread and my water, My wool and my linen, My oil and my drink.’” Hosea 2:1-5 NKJV

“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you ike Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred.” Hosea 11:8 NKJV

Lord God,

This book gives us a clear picture of how Israel has sinned. Hosea started prophesying to Israel just after Amos started. The same message of judgement and Your desire for them to turn back to You God. But Hosea went about it from a different angle. He likened Israel to an adulterous wife, who is no longer worthy to be compared to a wife because of her behaviour. It is not a little nag of a husband or the retelling of a small tiff but that the relationship is well and truly broken. Later in chapter 5 he likens Israel to a son and speaks of the pain of giving up a son because of his rebellious behaviour. You say Your heart churms Lord.

Throughout, Hosea shows that with You God there is hope and opportunity for a return, even though the situation is extreme. He speaks of Your dilemma of loving the one who does not love in return. Loving where the behaviour is as bad as in Admah (A place by Sodom and Gomorrah).

I need to remind myself that I have done nothing to deserve Your love. I am not worthy of it and can do nothing to earn it, recover it or merit it. Far for it. But Your heart churns for us. And Jesus came as the love that would not let us go. The love that welcomes us back. How can we, I not want to make our relationship with You good, intimate and healthy.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Sunday 7th June 2026
The last verse is quite a challenge to me.

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
like the wideness of the sea;
there’s a kindness in His justice
which is more than liberty.

There is welcome for the sinner,
and more graces for the good;
there is mercy with the Savior;
there is healing in His blood.

For the love of God is broader
than the measure of our mind;
and the heart of the Eternal
is most wonderfully kind.

If our love were but more simple,
we would take Him at His word,
and our lives would be illumined
by the presence of our Lord.

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
like the wideness of the sea.

Lyrics:Frederick William Faber