Toward the end of each year I begin to sit with the Lord and ask Him if there is a word He wants to unpack with me for the following year. I then usually start to notice certain words emerge repeatedly that stir excitement, compassion or a simple sense of wonder.
Some years it has been extremely clear and other years I feel like the Lord gives me choices. It is just one of the many joys of being in relationship with a God who is close, kind, creative and incredibly relational. He is the one who made us and He knows our love language more than anyone. He knows what captures our attention and He is a very intentional God. If He leads our eyes to notice something, a word, a person, a color, a song, a number, a car, a movie, etc… (Fill in the blank with personal things that turn your head, light you up or weigh heavy on your heart) then He intends to make a Kingdom impact with it.)
Notice what you notice!
There is a key there to how God is wanting to communicate with you.
I digress…
So, as 2025 was coming to a close, MERCY was the word that kept coming into focus.
Mercy is a multifaceted concept and beautiful attribute of God. I know I clearly have much to learn regarding mercy or it would not be the treasure hunt God has me on for 2026.
A foundational biblical definition of mercy is “the gift of God’s undeserved kindness and compassion.” This is my starting point.
I have gotten in the habit of keeping these 2 questions in the forefront of my mind:
Lord, what do you want me to know about this?
Lord, what do you want me to do?
(I got these 2 questions from Jamie Winship, author of the book, “Living Fearless: Exchanging the Lies of the World for the Liberating Truth of God” and founder of a training and consulting service, “Identity Exchange”, which focuses on helping people overcome false beliefs and live in their “true identity,” leading to greater freedom, purpose, and effectiveness, using methods like identity coaching and inner-healing prayer. I walked through this program in 2023 and I highly recommend it. )
*Check out http://identityexchange.com for information on Jamie Winship, his books and his training program.
I felt the Lord highlight Lamentations 3:22-23 as the verse to accompany MERCY.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” ~ ESV
We are now off and running in 2026 on a MERCY scavenger hunt, beginning in Genesis.
I would love to challenge you to also ask the Lord for a word for 2026 and see what He says.
Let Him surprise you!
If you already do this each year, I would love hear some of your 2026 words, how He reveals them to you and maybe some stories of words you and the Lord have unpacked together through the years.
There is no greater treasure hunt than gold digging with the Lord in His Word and in His world!
Each year I also choose a one year Bible reading plan and switch up Bible translations, using a new Bible each year. I do this simply to keep me from relying on my notes and highlights from the year before.
This is not the only way to dive into God’s word on a daily basis but it is one way. I love it when people offer up their ideas; so I thought I would share some of mine.
We cannot have too many tools in our tool belt when it comes to walking with the Lord. We take the time to nurture our relationships with family and friends; how much more so should we take the time to nurture our relationship with God. He is a fun, creative and resourceful God and I believe He loves us coming together and sharing anything we do with Him and for Him.
When we share our thoughts on getting to know Him better, it sets His heart ablaze!
This year I am following along with HeartDive365 which is a 365-Day chronological reading plan from the ESV, if anyone wants to go on this journey alongside me.
*Check out HeartDive356 here!
I look forward to taking my MERCY treasure hunt alongside you on whatever treasure hunt the Lord has you on.
I plan to keep my MERCY notes up to date here as God reveals them to me. Here a few so far:
MERCY:
Gen. 1-11
- God, in His Mercy, does not destroy Adam and Eve after they disobey. God still wants to walk with them, talk with them and now clothes them in their shame.
- God, in His Mercy, chooses to banish them from the Garden so that they don’t eat from the Tree of Life in their fallen state which would have kept them separated from God forever. His redemption plan was already in place! (JESUS)
- God, in His Mercy, did not destroy Cain after he killed Abel and God also put a plan of protection around Cain so that others didn’t kill him.
- God, in His Mercy, gave Adam and Eve, Seth, who had Enosh, and a lineage of people who began to call on the name of the Lord after the fall.
- God, in His Mercy, saves humanity through Noah and his family by giving Noah very specific instruction on how to build an ark and fill it with all the animals. God loves using his people to carry out His redemptive plans.
- God, in His Mercy, puts a rainbow in the sky as a sign of His promise to never destroy the world with a flood again. God is a promise keeping God!
- God, in His Mercy, chooses to confuse languages and scatter the prideful people at the Tower of Babel keeping them from completing their God-defying tower instead of destroying corrupt humanity again. We see God is still just, there are consequences, but He is also merciful in not giving us all that we truly deserve!
Job 1-9
- God’s mercy is revealed in Him putting Satan on a leash. Satan can only go as far as God allows. We see, although Job and the world around him does not, that God believes in Job and that is why He allows him to be tested.
- God, in His mercy, gives Job friends that START OFF well. The gift of presence and silence is a compassionate way to grieve alongside someone.
- A merciful God allows His kids to truth tell and pour out their heart to Him in their suffering. He doesn’t want a watered down and silver-lined groaning. That is not truth telling at all.
- We can see God’s mercy, although Job and the world around him cannot, in the underlying promise that God is going to work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.
I am sure there are many more mercy moments that I am missing but the above list makes my heart full and hopeful. In a world where we often miss the merciful stories or the merciful stories go untold, it is incredibly helpful and hopeful to focus on the Mercy of God in His word.
It is also an invitation to look back on our lives and search out the mercy we have received as well.
When we look for mercy we will find it!
What are we looking for?
As we see the mercy we have received in the past, may it encourage us to offer mercy in abundance in the present and in the future as well.
God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow;
THEREFORE
if He was merciful in the mayhem of the past,
He is merciful in the messes of today
and
He will be merciful in the madness that comes in the future.
He actually promises that in this world we will have trouble
BUT
Take heart, He has overcome the world!
If there are any “MERCY GOLD NUGGETS” you want to share from Gen 1-11 or Job 1-9 that I left out, I would love to hear them!
May God bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you in 2026 and beyond!
More mercy notes to come…