God’s Mercy is for All People – Family Devotion – September 11, 2020

Read: Romans 11:33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
“Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?”
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:33-36

God’s Mercy is for All People

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“I don’t get it!” Have you ever said that before? “I don’t get it, dad! I don’t know how to tie my shoes!” “I don’t get it! I don’t know how to play the game.” “I don’t get this math problem.”

There are so many things that we don’t get in life. Even as we grow older and learn from our parents or at school, we still struggle to understand different things.

You want to know what’s even harder to understand? God! But you probably already knew that. I bet you have had lots of tough “God questions” before. Why did God create the world in the first place? Why did he make Adam out of dust? Why did God make the sky blue and the grass green? Why did God make koala bears so cute? And why can’t God make my parents give me a new phone?

Maybe this one is the toughest: Why does God love us? Why would God love us when we sin and disobey him so much? How could he be so loving that he would send his Son Jesus to die for sinners? Why would God forgive me and welcome me to heaven one day? I don’t get it!

God’s Word for today reminds us that God’s love and wisdom are so great that we could never ever understand him. God is so great and so awesome that we humans won’t “get it” all the time. But do you know what we can do? We can praise and thank him every day! We may not understand how wonderful God is, but we definitely can say every day, “To God be the glory forever! Amen.”

Closing Prayer:

Dear Lord, I don’t always understand you. You are so big, great, powerful, and loving that I don’t get how amazing and awesome you are. But I do know that you love me. For that I will thank and praise you always. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• What is one big question you have always wondered about God?
• Name at least one awesome thing God has done that we can praise him for.

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Why do you think there are so many things that we don’t know about God?
• Even though we don’t understand much about God, identify some things that God has made very clear to us.

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Explain this statement: If God fit the thinking in your brain so you could understand him, he wouldn’t be much of a God.
• Explain how God showed his greatest wisdom in something so “foolish” as a person on a cross.

Hymn: CW 538:1,5 – The Church’s One Foundation

The Church’s one foundation Is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
She is his new creation By water and the Word.
From heav’n he came and sought her To be his holy bride;
With his own blood he bought her, And for her life he died.

Mid toil and tribulation And tumult of her war
She waits the consummation Of peace forevermore
Till with the vision glorious Her longing eyes are blest
And the great Church victorious Shall be the Church at rest.