Crowned with His Loving Kindness and Tender Mercies
Dearly beloved of God, we are crowned with God’s loving kindness and His tender mercies. Speak to me Father.
"Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies." Psalm 103:4
"Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me." Psalm 40:11
"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions." Psalm 51:1
"Hear me, O Lord; for thy lovingkindness is good; turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies." Psalm 69:16
"The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works." Psalm 145:8-9
"Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving-kindnesses; for they have been ever of old." Psalm 25:6
We all have days that we seem to need more of His loving kindness and tender mercies than others. His great love for us is a constant reality even when we are emotionally raw.
Let’s take a closer look at the words in Psalm 103:4.
The word for “crown” is “hame’atereki” in the Hebrew, from the root “atar.” If you trace the word back to its Semitic origins you find that it is a military word used by the Assyrians who were a warlike people. It expresses the picture of encircling for the idea of protection.
When the adversary attacks us we can call out to our Heavenly Father to encircle us with His loving kindness and tender mercies. Our Father’s encircling protection is impenetrable; it is a barrier the adversary cannot break through.
The word for “loving kindness” is “chasad” in Hebrew. It means goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and fidelity.
When the adversary attacks us with his fiery darts of fear, discouragement, hurt, pain, heartbreak, sorrow, depression, etc., God, our Father, surrounds us with His loving kindness and the adversary's fiery darts cannot get past the “‘atar” to hurt us.
When the adversary comes in for that knockout blow God encircles us with His loving kindness which fends off anything the adversary can throw at us.
“Racham” is the Hebrew word for “tender mercies.” It means love that has been given and returned. When we love God and He returns that love we are “racham,” which is really like being in a loving embrace with God.
If the adversary attacks us with his fiery darts, he is attacking God as well because God has us in a “racham,” a loving embrace. None of his fiery darts are going to defeat God, and since he cannot defeat Him and we are in His loving embrace it cannot defeat us. We rest in His embrace.
“Racham” is like a mommy that has just given birth to her beloved newborn. As she holds it in her arms and looks into her baby’s eyes, her baby looks back at her in total dependence and love. Nothing else in the world matters to that baby but its mother, and as the mother looks at her baby nothing else in the world matters to her but that little bundle of love – “racham.” The adversary hates it when we experience “racham” with our Heavenly Father.
We are crowned with God our Father’s loving kindness and tender mercies; it is game, set, match, game over. There is nothing the adversary can do but flee in defeat.
The adversary does not want us to believe that we are crowned with our Father’s loving kindness and tender mercies. He does not want us to believe that we are dearly beloved by our Heavenly Father and highly favored in His sight.
God our Father crowns us with His loving kindness and His tender mercies.
If you have one of those days crawl up in Daddy’s arms and start all over again, it’s the only way a broken heart can mend. He will love those problems right out of you…. You are dearly beloved by Him.