A Mighty God.

Collect for Sunday, July 22
O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The above Collect happens to be the Collect for this Sunday. I think it is a wonderful prayer for meditation because it highlights God’s great power. With words like mercy and pity and grace, it reshapes our human imaginations about how God flexes his muscle and demonstrates his almightiness. When I read it, my mind raced back to that great declaration God made about himself to Moses: “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
As many of you know, the word mercy is most often associated with steadfast love. Many Psalms testify to it, but Psalm 136 is one of my favorites. Here the Psalmist opens with “Give thanks to LORD, for he is good. His love (mercy) endures forever.” It’s a great Psalm to read while meditating on God’s almighty power.
Although identified by many negative synonyms such as disgrace or shame or sin, the word pity can also mean bighearted or good-hearted or warmhearted. The online dictionary defines pity as “the feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering and misfortunes of others.” Now doesn’t that sound just like Jesus? No wonder Hebrews calls him a great high priest who empathizes with our utter humanness.
My last observation is this: Sunday’s Collect points us toward the heavenly treasure we have in Christ. It reminds us that we have been saved by grace. Every inch of our lives has been made new! We are partakers in the promises of God! And, as if that is not enough, it is because of his mercy and compassion and grace that he empowers us to run toward the prize the Lord will award us on that Day!
