[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":75},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fgod-s-hand-of-mercy":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fgod-s-hand-of-mercy-surround":64},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":46,"date":47,"description":16,"extension":48,"image":49,"meta":50,"minRead":51,"navigation":52,"path":53,"postType":54,"publication":55,"publicationUrl":49,"seo":56,"stem":57,"topics":58,"__hash__":63},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fgod-s-hand-of-mercy.md","God's Hand of Mercy",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":43},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,26,34,37,40],[14,15,16],"p",{},"Where do you see the hand of God?",[14,18,19],{},"In mountain peaks, tropical breezes, and the fury of a thunderstorm? In a clear night sky where you can see the craters and valleys of the moon?",[14,21,22],{},"Do you see God's hand in the innocence of a newborn baby? In the contented smiles of a husband and wife who have shared their lives for 50 years? Where do you see the hand of God at work?",[14,24,25],{},"I saw it in a courtroom recently. A man waited to be sentenced for rape and other heinous crimes, and with great emotion his victim—a young Christian woman—bravely explained to the judge how these horrible offenses had affected her. The victim's mother described her family's pain and their desire for the attacker to be locked up so he would never hurt an innocent citizen again. But she also pointed out that the attacker ultimately would answer not to her, nor even to the judge in that courtroom, but to Almighty God—and before that time comes, she prays that he will find the spiritual freedom that only comes through Christ. The perpetrator was sentenced to prison, but whether he realized it or not, in that courtroom he also was exposed to the gospel of grace.",[14,27,28,29,33],{},"I have seen the hand of God in the life of Tim Streett. On a cold January night when Tim was 15 years old, he and his dad (an Army major and chaplain) were shoveling snow from their driveway when two young men appeared and demanded his father's wallet. As his father asked, \"What's going on here?\" a gun went off and killed him. The assailants took Tim's wallet (which contained one dollar) and sped away in a car driven by a third man. Twenty years later Tim decided to write to the men who had committed the crime. The man who murdered his father was unwilling to respond, but the fellow who drove the getaway car became Tim's friend, and eventually Tim helped to secure his release after 23 years in jail. In 2001 the CBS TV show ",[30,31,32],"em",{},"48 Hours"," featured the story of their reconciliation during a one-hour special on the power of forgiveness.",[14,35,36],{},"How can you explain it when adultery tears the heart out of a marriage, but the husband and wife manage to stay together, honestly face their problems, and work through the pain to renew their bond of commitment? How can two friends who haven't spoken in years find the strength to put their bitterness aside? What possibly could mend the rift between brothers and sisters on different sides of a church split?",[14,38,39],{},"In the Bible we see God's hand in the great miracles: parting the Red Sea, healing the blind, raising the dead. But what about the great acts of reconciliation? Joseph pardoning his brothers for selling him into slavery. David begging for God's forgiveness in Psalm 51. Jesus giving last-minute hope to the thief on the cross. Paul changing from the worst of sinners into one of the most influential Christ-followers who ever lived.",[14,41,42],{},"Yes, God's handiwork is obvious in nature—in forest glades and mountain grandeur. But it also appears in something that doesn't come naturally at all. In a dog-eat-dog world filled with pain and injustice, why would anyone make the unnatural choice to forgive? When you behold the marvelous sight of a peacemaker at work, recognize it for what it is: the hand of God.",{"title":9,"searchDepth":44,"depth":44,"links":45},2,[],"First Look","2007-12-09","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fgod-s-hand-of-mercy","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Fgod-s-hand-of-mercy",[59,60,61,62],"Biblical Theology","Christian Unity","Church Leadership","Spiritual Formation","ITL00LzNWMkISLu-4RUXbMVBvVYrxrFpwIQNCh-AxfA",[65,70],{"title":66,"path":67,"stem":68,"description":69,"children":-1},"God’s Good Gifts","\u002Farticles\u002Fgod-s-good-gifts","articles\u002Fgod-s-good-gifts","Prayer isn’t an attempt to twist the arm of a reluctant deity. Prayer is an honest conversation around the family dinner table.",{"title":71,"path":72,"stem":73,"description":74,"children":-1},"God's Least Popular Attribute","\u002Farticles\u002Fgod-s-least-popular-attribute","articles\u002Fgod-s-least-popular-attribute","Poets rarely mention it. Preachers seldom talk about it. Christian writers avoid it. Hymns and choruses seldom include it in their lyrics. And it's not likely many of us have included it in our recent prayers of praise, either.",1790466152609]