"I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, I will have compassion on whom I will have
compassion." Exodus 33:19 NIV
I read
this Bible verse
many years ago,
and I thought, doesn't God have mercy
on everyone?
The Bible says, "But
the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear
Him, and His righteousness to children's children." Ps. 103: 17 NKJV
My Father,
Morris C. Williams,
was selected for service
in the Air Force and trained as a fighter pilot under the Southeastern Training Command. Because
he had spent his junior and senior
years at the Columbia
Military Academy in Columbia, Tennessee, he was advanced
to the rank of Cadet Officer and then to Platoon Lieutenant during his
nine-month training period.
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In April 1943, he was assigned to the 36th squadron
of the 361st fighter
group at Bottisham, England.
After flying 45 combat missions between October and May of 1944 and 150
combat hours, he was shot down on May 24,1944
while flying over a German airport near Munster, Germany. He bailed out
of his P51 Mustang after the plane
burst into flames.
Following his
capture by civilians, he was taken to a Dulag POW Camp for interrogation. He
was then moved to Stalag 3 at Sagan, Germany.
Next, he was moved to
Moosberg for the remainder of his captivity. The camp was liberated by George C. Patton on April 29, 1945.
The Williams family were
recipients of God's mercy and compassion! Not only did my father survive the
crash, but he survived captivity as well. Soon after he arrived at the POW camp,
he saw his childhood friend, Joe Covington, who was also from Meridian, and
they both rejoiced in this Blessing from God.
My dad was presumed dead, and the
word got back to Meridian that he had perished in the mission. Imagine the joy and thankfulness they shared
when they learned he was alive!
In the Bible,
the virtues of mercy and compassion are mentioned in various forms hundreds of
times, especially in describing God's
nature. Instead of giving us what we deserve, God has shown mercy again and again to give us a chance to repent and be saved.
What a Mighty God we serve!
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for not giving us what we deserve!