But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them. – Psalm 103: 17-18

In stark contrast to the fragility of our frame and the brevity of our days, is the eternity of God’s mercy. It is from everlasting to everlasting. Have you ever thought about how long that is? Everlasting is already long. But, from everlasting to everlasting is eternity squared! No matter how you cut it, that is a long time and intended to express that there is no limit or expiration date to the mercy of God.

Now, before, we start shouting, let’s hear out the psalmist. Yes, God’s mercy is from everlasting to everlasting, but not everybody gets it. According to these verses, there are three stipulations placed upon His mercy. It extends to:

1. Those who fear Him. Fearing God does not mean being scared of God. (Although, given His power, a person might be wise to be scared of God.) Fearing God means reverencing and respecting God. It means worshiping God. It means choosing God. It means prioritizing God.

2. Those who keep His covenant. The people of God are in covenant with Him. A covenant is an agreed upon contract where each party has specific responsibilities. Then, based on the performance of their respective responsibilities under the covenant, each can look forward to specific rights and benefits. Israel was bound in covenant to worship God as a result of His delivering them from Egypt. Christians are bound in covenant with God based on His delivering them from sin through the blood of Christ.

3. Those who remember and practice His commandments. It is not enough to be in covenant with God. What God seeks is that those who are in covenant with Him remember it and keep His commandments. Awareness of the covenant is not sufficient. That awareness, must become practical and visible righteousness.

If by now you are wondering if you qualify for this everlasting mercy based on these criteria, notice what is not written here. You don’t have to be perfect to get it. You don’t have to be rich to get it. You don’t have to be a person who has never made a mistake to get it. The minimum requirements are to fear God, keep His commandments and “practice” His commandments. With the help of the Holy Ghost, you can do that. Can’t you?