"The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honorable and glorious; and His righteousness endures for ever. He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and full of compassion." (Psalm 111:2-4) "Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and your faithfulness reaches unto the clouds." (Psalm 36:5) "God has spoken once; twice have I heard this: that power belongs unto God. Also unto You, O Lord, belongs mercy." (Psalm 62:11-12) "The earth, O Lord, is full of your mercy; teach me your statutes." (Psalm 119:64) "He that trusts in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about." (Psalm 32:10) "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23) "[Christ] is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:17,RV, margin) "Let Israel hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities." (Psalm 130:7-8) "God, being rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He lovedus, Even when we were dead through our trespasses, quickened us together with Christ (by grace have you been saved), And raised us up with Him, and made us to sit with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-6,RV) "Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these, that brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might, and for that He is strong in power, not one is lacking." (Isaiah 40:26,RV) "In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hills is His also." (Psalm 95:4) "Why say you, O Jacob, and speak O Israel, my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Have you not known? Have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:27-31)
If you cannot at first see the things that here follow, in the texts just quoted, read the texts until you can. Take the truth direct from the Scriptures themselves.
Note that the Lord makes His grace and fullness of compassion known by making His wonderful works to be remembered. That is, His wonderful works reveal His graciousness and compassion. Power and mercy are combined. Both belong to God, and cannot be separated. Just as all the things that are made reveal the power of God, so all of God's works show His mercy. His power is merciful, and His mercy is powerful.
God's mercy is everywhere, in the heavens and in the earth. The earth is full of it. It is not merely on the earth, but it is in it. All the power that is seen in the things that God has made, is His mercy in action. It is by the mercy of the Lord that we live. It is His mercy that keeps us alive. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not." (Lamentations 3:22)
Thus we see that mercy is power, for it is His power that keeps us.
It is in Christ that everything holds together. That is, "cohesion," which is but another term for "holding together," is God personally working to uphold all things. If matter did not hold together, we should have no place to stand on, and we ourselves would have no existence. So since it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, we see that cohesion is simply a manifestation of the mercy of the Lord. Cohesion is Christ, the power of God, working in nature. It is the word of His power upholding all things.
Think of the marvelous force that holds the mighty rocks in huge masses. What infinite energy is constantly working in every particle of matter in the universe, in order that there may be form and solidity. Can you fail to see the hand of God in it?
Men tell us that this force is "cohesion." Now "cohesion" simply means "sticking together." Therefore when they tell us that particles of matter, atoms, are held together by cohesion, it is the same as though they told us that matter is held together by holding together. "Cohesion" simply describes what is done, but does not tell what does the thing.
The Bible tells what does it. It is Christ the power of God. Thus it is that God shows us His power to save. He saves us by His mercy, in which He is rich. "with Him [there] is plenteous redemption." (Psalm 130:7)
How much? As much as there is force in the universe. "In His hand are the deep places of the earth." (Psalm 95:4)
All the force, even to the very center of the earth, is the working of the Lord's own hand. What has the Lord said of the safety of His sheep in His hand? "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." (John 10:27-29)
But God's mercy is in the heavens as well as in the earth. "Lift up your eyes on high" (Isaiah 40:26,RV) and see the stars. It is His power, His mercy, that keeps them in their places. His own hand guides them in their orbits "because He is strong in power, not one is lacking." (Isaiah 40:26,RV)
It is God's powerful mercy that, prevents them coming in collision. Or falling upon this earth and crushing it. What is the force that operates between the heavenly bodies? Men call it "gravitation;" the Bible tells us that it is God's own power, that is, it is the working of the "Saviour which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11)
If the words "cohesion" and "gravitation" hide the personal presence of the Lord, don't use them. In any case, don't say that cohesion, gravitation, chemical affinity, etc., do certain things. Don't think that the thing done is the One who does it. Don't forget that God's everlasting power and Divinity are revealed in the things that are made. (Romans 1:20,RV) Does not this help you to grasp the reality of the power that is put forth to save us? "The Gospel ... is the power of God unto salvation." (Romans 1:16)
So in everything that God has made we may see the Gospel, if we do not close our eyes in unbelief. Not only in every living thing, but in every rock, and in every grain of sand, as well as in the sun, moon, and stars, God shows us the power that redeems those who trust Him,--the power of the life of Christ, the power of the cross.
How can men who live on the solid earth, and who even dare trust that the unstable water will hold together sufficiently to bear them up, refuse to trust the Lord, whose all-pervading presence makes it possible for them to live at all?--Present Truth, July 14, 1898.