In a Psalm emphasizing the steadfast love of God, David recognized the mercy of God and believed in it.  

Psalm 52:8 (KJV)
⁸  But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.

Do you trust in the mercy of God?  There is no being in existence that has shown the degree of mercy that God has toward mankind.  The word mercy has to do with having pity or compassion for someone.  In God’s case, it was His mercy that caused Him to sacrifice His Son so that we might be saved.  When we were dead in trespasses and sins, God’s mercy caused Him to act on our behalf.

Ephesians 2:4-5 (ESV)
⁴  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Our hope rests in the fact that God is not just merciful, He is rich in mercy.  He is a compassionate God Who is willing to forgive us when we fall short of His glory.  He knows our weaknesses and shortcomings; thus, He does not demand that we live perfect lives in order to go to heaven.  While He will not tolerate willful sin, being a righteous God (1 John 1:5), He will remember our sins no more if we repent of them.

We have the hope of heaven precisely because we do not have to be perfect to maintain our fellowship with God.  If sinless living was the criterion for salvation, we would all be lost; however, because God is merciful, He has given us a way to be restored when we fall.  All we have to do to maintain our hope of heaven is walk worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1), and repent of any sins we commit along the way (Acts 17:30).  I can do that, and so can you.  Never forget that God could have demanded that we never sin if we want to go to heaven.  This is because sin is our fault, not God’s.  God does not make us sin, nor did He create us as sinners as some suppose.  We sin because that is what we choose to do.

James 1:14-15 (ESV)
¹⁴  But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Whose fault is it when we sin?  The primary blame goes to ourselves, doesn’t it?  Our own desires cause us to sin.  Furthermore, sin is an affront to the impeccable purity of God.  Still, God forgives the repentant sinner.  No wonder Paul once called God the Father of mercies (2 Corinthians 1:3).

We all must be like David and trust in the mercy of God.  We must believe that when we repent of any sin that we commit, God forgives us.  If we do not trust God, not only will we not repent, we will not confess our sins to Him either, something required for forgiveness (1 John 1:9-10).

When someone asks us the reason for our hope, there is a lot we can tell them, but close to the top of the list is the mercy of God.  Knowing that God is so compassionate that He is willing to forgive us of any sins we commit, as long as we are able and willing to repent, is very comforting, and it makes our hope steadfast and sure.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.