January 17, 2026

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here.  Thank You for Your Presence.  Where do you want me to read this morning?

Jeremiah 33.

I read it and stopped on verse 11. (speaking of the restoration of Jerusalem)

the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say:

“Praise the Lord of hosts,
For the Lord is good,
For His mercy endures forever”— This part was highlighted.  So I looked for other scriptures where it was used.

1 Chronicles 16:8-12

Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
⁹ Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
¹⁰ Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
¹¹ Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
¹² Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,Isaiah 12:4-6

⁴ And in that day you will say:

“Praise the Lord, call upon His name;
Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His name is exalted.
⁵ Sing to the Lord,
For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth.
⁶ Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”

Psalm 136 Israel rehearses the merciful acts of God

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
² Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever.
³ Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever:

⁴ To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His mercy endures forever;
⁵ To Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
For His mercy endures forever;
⁶ To Him who laid out the earth above the waters,
For His mercy endures forever;
⁷ To Him who made great lights,
For His mercy endures forever—
⁸ The sun to rule by day,
For His mercy endures forever;
⁹ The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His mercy endures forever.

¹⁰ To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹¹ And brought out Israel from among them,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹² With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹³ To Him who divided the Red Sea in two,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁴ And made Israel pass through the midst of it,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁵ But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁶ To Him who led His people through the wilderness,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁷ To Him who struck down great kings,
For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁸ And slew famous kings,
For His mercy endures forever—
¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites,
For His mercy endures forever;
²⁰ And Og king of Bashan,
For His mercy endures forever—
²¹ And gave their land as heritage,
For His mercy endures forever;
²² A heritage to Israel His servant,
For His mercy endures forever.

²³ Who remembered us in our lowly state,
For His mercy endures forever;
²⁴ And rescued us from our enemies,
For His mercy endures forever;
²⁵ Who gives food to all flesh,
For His mercy endures forever.

²⁶ Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven!
For His mercy endures forever.

Holy Spirit, I see the connection between remembering and praise.  Is there more You want me to see?

Yes, the declarations and praise often come after great conflict and victory.  The dedication of the new temple, the end-time celebration of God’s executed judgment, that restores Jerusalem to righteousness and peace.  Conflict, chaos, and hard-times open the eyes of My people to stand in awe of My power to protect and defend them.  My goodness to My children.  I had to allow them to go through the fire to redeem their hearts to Me.

Passover is a redemption story, drawing My children back to Me and to show them My goodness toward them, while Egypt suffered greatly.

I show mercy to those I want to show mercy,(Romans 9:18) but it is always to redeem, to strengthen their allegiance to Me.  For I am their Savior, their Redeemer.  All of their efforts will lack ultimate victory unless they are hearing and following Me.

Stand still and see the salvation of your God.  I don’t need your help, I need your hearts and that often comes through trial.

My mercy endures forever and ever, and ever.  I am not lax concerning My promises to you.  I look over My word and perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12)  The timing is  Mine and the way is Mine.

Draw near and hear the whispers of My heart.  I am able to save, and save I will.  Be at peace.  My Mercy endures forever.  Remember and rejoice.

Thank You, Holy Spirit.  I see it now.  There is purpose in the delay of ultimate awakening and rescue.  We are not waiting for You to move. You are waiting for us to recognize our complete inability to fix our problems.  You are waiting for us to recognize Your great power and wisdom to overcome all the works of wickedness and to yield to You completely.  Stir our hearts, Holy Spirit, to see and declare Your goodness.

Help me break down this word.

MERCY– #2617 to be kind, show favor  חֶסֶד

Dallet, Samech, Chet

Chet  8 = New Beginnings. Means: Fence, Gate, Tent wall to Separate, Protect, Cut off. Torah, place of refuge, quiet place, to be silent, still in security, sanctuary, inner room.

Samekh  60 = Pride, Conceit, Earthly. Picture: A Tree propped up by a piece of wood. Means: To Lean Upon, a Prop or Aid, Hold, Assist or Support  – the heart of God

Dallet  4 =  Earth or creation.  Means: Door, Gate, Impoverished man, to come from indicates a pathway, a place of decision, or an entrance to life or death.  Moving in or out of something, open up, a place where change can take place.

So the meaning of the word MERCY is:

Chet: Mercy gives us the opportunity for new beginnings, an opportunity to live in a place of protection separated from our enemies.

Samekh: Mercy reveals our pride and helps us realize that we must lean on God 100%.  It is His heart that we are completely dependent on Him.

Dallet: Mercy is God’s kindness and favor, a door open to we impoverished children (striving on our own to fix and manage our lives) it offers us a place of decision to continue in our pride and self-sufficiency or yield to God.  Our decision will lead us to life or death.

Holy Spirit, help us make the right decisions.  Thank You, Lord.

Shalom